“Is this a real life.. is this just fantasy
Caught in a landslide…. no escape from reality
Open your eyes… look up to the skies and see…I’m just a poor boy.. I need no sympathy.. because I’m easy come.. easy go…
“
— Freddy Mercury, Bohemian Rhapsody
There is so much sadness in our nation as we bemoan the imprisonment of a voice of conscience manifested in this individual called Raja Petra Kamaruddin.
There is so much anger in our consciousness as we wonder what justice denied can do to us as we see the rot in our cultural values and political lives — right in front of our eyes, feasted through the media.
Raja Petra is seeking deep in his inner self and journeying deep into the archeology of his consciousness and into the history of his self and his ancestors, seeking solace and guidance in what next to be done in this world in which the self argues and revolts against systems of oppression. His psyche and the journey of his soul perhaps bring him to a hill in Melaka some several centuries ago — a place where the legendary philosopher-king and the Bugis warrior stood on a hill riddled with bullets from the advancing Dutch colonials. Raja Haji died standing.
Raja Petra is a gifted human being who is showing us what Henry David Thoreau, the American transcendentalist, spoke about “civil disobedience. He is what the philosopher Karl Jaspers reminded us of the urge to disobey and ideology that has become corrupt to the core and has employed the state apparatuses to silence those who speak truth to power.
Raja Petra is what Che Guevara means to Malaysians, a gung-ho revolutioner whose interest in motorcycles helped him craft his own hugely successful “motorcycle diaries” and helped him symbolize and embody the free-wheeling spirit of Americanism of the “Easy Rider era”.
Raja Petra is the symbol of the yearning in us to break free and to let out these “screams of consciousness” so that we may learn to understand better what actually is the problem with this nation that needs therapy as a consequence of its obsession with law and order it creates and it destroys. It is the Brahma-Shiva-Vishnu of politics that we are seeing at play in the cosmic cycle, this karma of Malaysian politics that is meeting its end of the yuga as consequences to the production of many duryodanas (Durjanas) in the process of birth and rebirth.
Raja Petra is a Bugis warrior who installs kings and umpires and players in this game of politics we all are asked to play for fifty years. He make us conscious of the complexities of power relations, the roles of individuals in installing ideologies, the power of institutions in designing “inscriptions that alienate people” and helps us understand the nature of Malaysia’s interlocking directorates — of who owns what and what are the consequences of these.
Raja Petra is a commander-in-chief of a movement that exists in cyberspace and orchestrates the powerful dialogues that send shivers to the spines of those who cheats in this political game.
Raja Petra has shown us what jihad means and how we must carry on this revolution to its final destiny — a republic of virtue in which philosophy reigns supreme over ideology, whatever the ideology may be.
Raja Petra will be out soon, to carry on the revolution in the consciousness of men and women — a perpetual revolution that forces us to look at ourselves as historical beings and wonder “what have we done to make this country as it is in which justice is denied, delayed, and dictated by the few.”
But there will always be Divine Justice, if one believes in the power of the Divine — in a Just God and God of Mercy and Compassionate who works in mysterious ways and one who works through the agency called human beings — that will make things end well, even if all is not well in the beginning of things.
“Man proposes God disposes”, many have said. In us all, in the humiliation wrought upon this human being called Raja Petra and in the imprisonment of this voice of conscience, lies the mystery of revelation of justice. We shall see what lies ahead. We must, however continue to become makers of history — to protest either silently or out loud either in solitude or with others in pomp and pageantry, protest we must as we are essentially human beings born free with natural rights endowed by the Creator. Borrowing Rousseau, we believe that “Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains…”
Protest we must. Investigate we must too. Demands we will orchestrate in order to have corrupt men and women, powers abusers amongst us, and swindling robber-barons amidst us to be brought to justice in the court of law that shall be governed by the people, through the will of the rakyat.
The rakyat awaits your homecoming, a candlelight vigil will adorn the street in front of the prison-industrial complex built by those who designed architecture of structural-violence, unseen by the naked eyes of the rakyat. Like the candles that await Sita Devi and like the candle-lights that bathes Jelaluddin Rumi, the light from the rakyat soothes and calms your bruised spirit in their patient wait for your freedom.
A grandchild of that Bugis warrior prince, a philosopher-ruler, better that many a prince Machiavelli pays tribute to– you are a voice of conscience and you shall be free. Free at last.. free at last…
Welcome back to the bosom of society. This is your bohemian rhapsody.
Welcome back, Saudara RPK.
This is my humble gift to thee. May these words renew your spirit.
Long live RPK!!!
Let’s send the murderers to hell !!!
He’s OUT..
<a href=”http://malaysiancartoons.blogspot.com/2008/05/pipe-signals-not-necessary-any-more.html”BAIL AND OUT FREE!
I hope Raja Petra’s plight will arouse the opposition that we are living under a repressive regime in a police state.
(error on earlier posts)
BAIL AND OUT!
Dear yhsiew,
I admire RPK’s courage to stand up for Justice and for that he had to suffer persecution, which is of course what we are deeply upset with.
But, your statement which goes,
“I hope Raja Petra’s plight will arouse the ‘opposition’ that we are living under a repressive regime in a police state”
has got me confused.
Opposition?
Isn’t that what the opposition have been fighting for the whole while?
And for some MP, maybe half of their lives?
I sincerely hope that RPK were not being used like a “tool” in this dark soulless world of politics.
RPK is part of us, our loudest voice, a leader with a brave heart. He could remain apolitical to be most effective but the opposition has also contributed their part, what I feel is that the public at large could play a bigger role.
Dear kingkenny,
There is no intention to use RPK as a “tool”. What I meant is I hope RPK’s encounter would remind the opposition party that we are not living in a FREE Malaysia and I wish they could do something to change the situation.
Very well said and I join in wishing RPK renewed spirit to challenge the charges laid on him.
But I fear Karpal Singh is being singled out next to bear the brunt of sedition charges again.
I read with pride his challenge to the PM in malaysiakini and I hope the MSM will carry his retort in full instead of giving misinformation to the rakyat.
Atlas I know this is but a vain hope, yet I’m surprise LKS has not carried that retort here!!!
Dear yhsiew,
agreed with you, it is a hope for all of us to start a new life under a new government.
Raja Petra is a true Malaysian.
Who cares if a Malaysian a Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban,
who cares if you are a Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Toist, Bahai or whatever,
so long as you are a true Malaysian?
Lets look at the bright side.Now that Raja PETRA has been charge in open court for treason.He has to prove in court that what he wrote is true and he has documented prove to show.I think now the goverment has fallen into the MIGHTY PETER,S TRAP.THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THEN THE SWORD.
“sedition” NOT “treason”.
YB, Since now BN using using sedition charge ….. can you lead a team MP to log a sedition report against PM on regard of what he had said to Sultan Terengganu over pelantikan MB in Terengganu recently …. they even using “Natang”.
Second, Make another sedition report on Najip that what he had said clearly in the days preceding Operasi Lallang in October 1987, Najib Razak then as the head of Umno Youth, made a speech at a rally in Kampung Baru where he vowed to bathe his keris in the blood of Chinese Malaysian citizens.
Thank you YB
YOu are awesome in your debate in palimen. Keep it … we cannot have room for these idiots in parlimen.
YB. Pls ensure to have a new laptop for RPK. He needs it to keep going :-) Lawan tetap lawan !! Let’s send the murderers to hell !!!
dear kingkenny and yhsiew,
YM Raja Petra is Apolitical.
He does not take sides.
Now,The Return Of The R.P.K.Let’s see ,what BN going to do with a The Empire Strikes Back………
RPK descendant of the Bugis?
Speaking of the Bugis and who they really are –
“The Bugis are the cross-breed between the Chinese and the Arabs. (FYI, a runaway Ming Dynasty official whom Cheng Ho was sent to hunt down) Interestingly, the Bugis were career Pirates in the Johor-Riau Island areas. Now the nephew of Daeng Kemboja was appointed the First Sultan of Selangor. That makes the entire Selangor Sultanate part Arab, part Chinese! Try talking to the Bugis Museum curator near Kukup in Johor. Kukup is located near the most south-western tip of Johor. (Due south of Pontian Kechil)”
RPK represents the VOICES OF THE SILENT MAJORITY.
The sooner the Empire Strikes Back, the sooner the Empire going into self-destructive mode!
The unseen HANDS still moving in the country!
Late Megat Junid, Datuk Z, Tan Sri Naza, …. more to come. When the dictator of Sarawak falls, that’s going to rock the whole nation and restructure the whole administration.
The Empire has no fear of the Lord Almighty. The Empire continue to persecute the innocents.
Time is running out!
Courage ? Cowardice more like it….
This guy tried to start a ‘fast’ and stay in the jail until the trial starts. But he couldn’t take it just after a day and failed miserably.
Came up with a lame excuse that the 2 UTK guys threatened him. Well, wait until we hear from these 2 guys their side of the story. I foresee they will probably sue RPK for slandering them.
RPK claims to represent the ordinary rakyat, but in reality he is an elitist who is so far removed from the normal people.
Dear Killer,
RPK has stood up against injustice on countless occasions, and has been on the receiving end of unfair police treatment each time he is hauled up to give statements to them.
What he does time and again, is not something that an ordinary person would have the guts to do.
Unless you have been hauled up to the police station more often than him, and have been on the receiving end of abuses by the authorities more than him, and have stood up on the Altantuya case more vocally than him, then you have no right to be passing such a judgment on him.
If he is a coward, then you could only be several rungs below.
Does this so-called accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance will achieve? Just look at this example (RPK is jailed) and the progress of the trail of Altantuya..and the complaint of her father to Malaysia Judge…Is all more to acting…what a sad news to all Malaysian.
We shall look forward to “Return of the Pakatan Rakyat” in the next episode.
No prizes who is the evil emperor, darth vader, idiotic generals & cloned storm troopers are !!!
will the real RPK please stand up?
“Let’s send the murderers to hell !!!” The REAL murderer are DENIED the PM post, that’s already almighty punishment for a SORE LOSER who ordered such act of Canibalism.
Hello “hero” RPK,
Here you go…just like I had predicted RPK lied about being threatened by the 2 UTK men. I would love to see RPK defending himself against this.
Here is an example how RPK is willing to lie and concort stories to justify/cover his cowardice.
Imagine what extent he would go to destry his enemies..
==================================================
Altantuya murder trial: Accused cops lodge report against Raja Petra
2008/05/13
SHAH ALAM: Two former policemen, accused of the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, lodged a report at the court complex here against Malay-sia Today editor Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin yesterday. Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar lodged the report at 5pm after proceedings ended yesterday.
Earlier, when hearing began, counsel Datuk Hazman Ahmad and Kamarul Hisham Kamaruddin, who are representing Azilah and Sirul respectively, informed the court that Raja Petra had in the Malaysia Today website mentioned the reason why he had posted bail on Friday.
Raja Petra was charged at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court on Wednesday under the Sedition Act for his article on the website.
He was granted bail of RM5,000 with one surety, but had initially insisted on not posting it. Instead, he wanted to remain in the Sungai Buloh prison until his trial in October.
On Friday, however, he changed his mind, alleging that he had received threats from Azilah and Sirul while in prison.
Raja Petra had said: “When I arrived in Sungai Buloh, something happened that put the entire prison on full alert. Sirul and Azilah, who were in the same block as me, Block Damai, shouted at me to watch my back and that they will get me. I was whisked out of the block.
“It seemed they were angry that the Altantuya murder trial, which had disappeared from the radar screens, was back in the spotlight again.
“Why should that upset them?”
Yesterday, Hazman and Kamarul denied the allegations.
Hazman said: “I have spoken to my client, who denied this.
“He said he did not know where Raja Petra was placed and did not meet him in prison.
“This statement is prejudicial to my client as Raja Petra has nothing to support his allegations.”
Kamarul said Sirul, too, denied the allegations.
Judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasin said: “True or false, let the matter be investigated. You can be assured that the court will not be affected by such incidents.”
Azilah and Sirul are charged with the murder of Altantuya in Bukit Raja between 10pm on Oct 19 and 11am the following day two years ago.
Political analyst Abdul Ra-zak is charged with abetting them.
Proceedings later resumed with senior investigating officer ASP Tonny Lunggan taking the stand.
Under examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Manoj Kurup, Tonny said he had on June 16 met Celcom officer Haizal Hambali to trace telecommunications transmitting stations.
“We began our journey from Jalan Setia Jaya, Bukit Da-mansara, near Razak’s house.
“Our trip ended at the crime scene in Puncak Alam.”
Hearing resumes today.