Raja Petra missing: The true story
(World Futures) – Blogger and Editor of Malaysia-Today website Raja Petra Kamarudin is missing and did not appear in court today, prompting the court to issue a warrant of arrest against him. Where is RPK, as he is better known, and why did he go missing?
In a posting on his blog this morning RPK claimed that he had decided to become a fugitive. He added that he wanted to avoid being detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) once again. In earlier postings he said he will go in exile and will never come to the Selangor State again due to his feud with the Sultan of Selangor.
RPK had warned his readers that he was the target of yet another ISA arrest after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak took power on 3rd April this year. RPK campaigned heavily against Prime Minister Najib Razak, attacking him and his wife and accusing them of involvement in the murder of Altantyuya Shaariibuu, the Mongolian lover of the PM's 'advisor' Abdul Razak Baginda.
Sources said RPK was being sought well before the tripple by-elections were held on 7th April and that many police road blocks in Klang Valley in Selangor were actual attempts at locating and spotting RPK who was to be arrested on the spot. RPK did mention in one of his blog entries that he was being sought and a fresh arrest warrant under the ISA was issued on his name after the 3rd April.
The news of the arrest of 3 men under the ISA, news that was released after the PM Najib Razak took office, reinforced the beliefs that RPK was next on the list. However, the arrests were carried out before PM Najib took office and was a final salvo of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi instead.
It appears that RPK has decided to be absent from the case against him today in order to force the authorities to take action against him. With the fresh warrant of arrest against RPK, some quarters will support the decision that he has to go MIA – Missing in Action – in order to be able to continue his campaign against the Barisan National (BN) government and to achieve his aim at toppling the regime of Najib Tun Razak.
It is possible however that Tun Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's former Prime Minister, may intervene in the RPK-Najib Razak tussle. RPK has total respect for the elderly Tun Mahathir who is said to have forced his weight against the Abdullah Badawi government to get RPK to be released from ISA detention last year. Raja Petra was in for the long haul and was expected to be released only after 2 to 4 years in detention but pressure from the former PM and the Selangor Palace may have bent the arms of the then Interior Minister and strong man Syed Hamid Albar.
Ironically enough, Syed Hamid Albar became a political victim of the ISA since he has been dropped as Minister in the cabinet of Najib Razak.
