Where is Raja Petra Kamaruddin?- A Sweetheart Deal to Return

Update- Just In

And Justice for All ?

Pursuant to the article below, informed sources reveal to us that Raja Petra Kamaruddin who has been in negotiations with the Malaysian government since absconding may have secured for himself a deal allowing him safe return to Malaysia.

A condition of his safety on return and a cornerstone of the deal is that Raja Petra Kamaruddin will allow himself to be arrested on his return (if he does not voluntarily give himself up), be bailed to appear in court and have the trial proceed against him on criminal defamation and sedition charges.

We have reason to believe that in return for his compliance with the terms of the deal worked out between Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s lawyers and representatives of government, some of the charges against him will be amended to less serious charges or dropped altogether and that he will as a result receive a token penalty on each of the charges that remain.

As more details of the special arrangement negotiated for the Raja are made available to us we will disclose these on this blog.  

WHERE IS THE RUNAWAY PRINCE?

Its been well over a month since this self proclaimed champion of democracy, free speech, a master of vilification, icon of the anti ISA movement and vocal advocate for justice absconded and fleeing from the law.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin is survived it appears by his colleague and partner in blogging infamy, Zorro Unmasked. An equally cantankerous individual with a proclivity for nebulous distorted political commentary. A man bent on continuing the Raja Petra Kamaruddin legacy. Publishing  a more diluted form of his esoteric venom peppered with defamatory remarks against individuals on the latter’s blog.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin was vocal. Very vocal in his criticisms of others. Especially public figures. And his criticism was broadcast at every opportunity he could find to an audience. Where none existed he sought to create one complete with salacious stories and imaginary devils out of a vivid and highly creative imagination with passion. He pursued his passion even if it meant he was in contempt of court where proceedings on his subjects were a foot at the time he made his comments. Raja is a man with little regard for the law.

ABSCONDING

When challenged to prove the truth of his assertions the Raja fled Malaysia it would seem. Leaving behind him in his escape, were his spouse and other close associates and confidants, left to pick up the pieces and to pay for his failures. Most of all this consisted of the general public. Betrayed by him. Raja Petra Kamaruddin appears to have misled the many who in good faith believed the man was honourable, a man with the courage of his convictions and one whose allegations against others (especially public officials) were the subject of the solid cogent evidence and proofs he possessed, ready for his day in court.

His absconding at a critical time without good reason, leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of those who placed a great deal of faith and loyalty in the man. In doing what he has done he may well have sealed the fate of Altantuya and any legitimate inquiry into the real circumstances and facts behind her death with his insidious public commentary on the subject, his unrelenting vilification of those he believed had a part in it with unsubstantiated material and his decision to run in the end.

Raja’s public remarks, his allegations and accusations, his contrived embarrassing emotions in self recorded inteviews in ‘exile‘ have all been part of a grand scheme of self promotion for profit by this delusional and parasitic individual. A man devoid of any morality or respect for others or for the law. He so clearly feigned grief when speaking about his meeting with Altantuya’s father. He has fabricated what he calls evidence in his attempts to vilify those he believes are lesser people than he is. A man so ready to walk over dead bodies to get to where he wants at any cost.

Raja delights in outrage. He does so in naked pursuit of opportunity to further his own political and economic ambition in a perverted and irresponsible way regardless of the personal cost to his objects. The people.

AN OUTRAGE

Raja Petra Kamaruddin is believed to have confided in some of his closest of associates that he never really had any of the evidence he claimed he had against the wife of current Malaysian Prime Minister implicating her in the death of Altantuya Sharibu.

The fabrication, the  concoction of ‘military intelligence‘ as his wellspring of information. Intelligence operatives confiding in him sensitive facts relating to the murder of Altantuya Sharibu was perhaps his biggest lie, and an empty boast that brought Raja Petra Kamaruddin undone in his own mind compelling him to do a runner.

It is an absurd proposition that military intelligence would indulge Raja Petra Kamaruddin in his flights of fancy over the Altantuya affair. It is even less credible that he was in possession of classified information relating to the death of the Mongolian woman. If he did have such information, reliable and of probative value, there would have been no need for him to run.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s constant outbursts on his website was more a reflection of contemporary Malaysian society’s hunger for news and sensationalism, a general embarrassment and anything but a creditable source of news or a show piece of journalism. An extension of the Susan Loone mentality. Loose, irresponsible and appealing to the lowest common denominator.

ALTANTUYA  A PROP

To Raja Petra Kamaruddin Altantuya was nothing more than a prop in furtherance of his cheap shot at fame. Her grieving father an opportunity to further his ambition and his exploitation of that man at a time he was so vulnerable a demonstration of Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s own character make up.

The woman is dead. The subject of much speculation and ridicule. The prime minister lives on. So too does his spouse. Each of them however unpopular (a guess) has a right to respond to Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s allegations. It would appear that Raja Petra Kamaruddin had more to hide than the lies he spun on his website.

MONEY POLITICS FAILED DEALS AND LIES

It now appears that Raja Petra Kamaruddin may have gone to ground taking with him (and owing) hundreds of thousands of dollars from well wishers and bussiness groups who he convinced he was on a roll and about to be landed an important political position by government to silence him in a compromise. One of these was the Perak MB role via a safe PKR seat. No one from PKR wishes to speak with us on that score.

Many in the Malaysian business community including a well known Malaysian Chinese Banker, a Datuk, a Tan Sri, former cabinet ministers, and several others in the business communities including two prominent lawyers,  one a prominent Hong Kong based Indonesian Chinese businessman believe they may have been fleeced by the Raja.

Thus far only one of these, the Indonesian Chinese in Hong Kong is willing to discuss his feelings and his experiences in respect of his dealings with the Raja on condition of anonymity. And thats understandable We will keep readers posted of developments in this regard.

Raja’s undoing came about when he agreed to a private clandestine meeting with representatives of the current Prime Minister of Malaysia immediately after he was released from detention under the ISA. The meeting was to discuss the fact that the Raja’s ‘evidence’ was non existent and that his criminal defamation of the PM’s wife and others would earn him a jail term for its criminal content. He had been sprung.

In a Machiavellian stroke he was cornered and asked to tone down his mindless empty rhetoric in exchange for certain favours. These included a gradual return to mainstream politics, the freedom to write in a more responsible, conventional  and regulated environment to include a TV talk show, radio and the print medium.

It would come as a package complete with government sponsorship and an educational and quasi administrative role dealing with public grievances. All paid for. All complete with the perks of a first class government retainer for life. It was an offer he could not refuse. He is believed to have accepted then sprung again with the evidence of his mischief. Raja had to run.

TO THOSE IN THE KNOW

Now that Raja Petra Kamaruddin has made his outrageous claims public and has won for himself the notoriety and very public persona around those outrageous claims in his publication, it is unlikely that he will come to any harm without consequences for Malaysia’s government.

Raja Petra Kamaruddin is known to have been in constant contact with certain bloggers, journalists and on line publications including the Nutgraph, Citizen Nades and personnel within Malaysiakini.

None of these publications or their citizens of conscience owners have made disclosure about Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s whereabouts or the fact of his contact with them to police, which of itself is possibly a criminal offence. Perhaps this is because the credibility of these publications, their ethics and the quality of their journalists who have supported his nonsense all along without question is itself now an issue. Time will tell.

WHAT NEXT?

Do we now wait with baited breath for this prince of the vandals to return, face the music and face his critics and victims alike or is that another Raja Petra Kamaruddin fiction? Considering this paper tiger and man of straw has proved nothing about his many far fetched claims, is it not time for those who know of his whereabouts to come forward and smoke the coward out?

He could well be resting his butt temporarily in Sydney waiting to be swept off his feet by the visiting Queer Maharajah from India fooling Australians into believing India still has royalty, living on the privy purse like the Maharajah he claims to be. Very much like our little prince on the run, Raja Petra Kamaruddin.

Asif Ali

Asif Ali is a Pakistani born London based writer. He has been a keen observer of the phenomenon of Raja Petra Kamaruddin in the context of contemporary Malaysian popular culture and politics.