Let’s go to the next level

ARCHIVES 2011

By MT Webmaster On Apr 16, 2011

If the Attorney-General wants to charge me for defaming Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin, I promise I will return to Malaysia to face the charge. I further promise I will not contest the charge. I will plead guilty and will suffer the jail sentence. That is my promise if they promise to charge me for the correct ‘crime’. But I refuse to face the charges of defaming three people I did not defame.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

In a few hours more, we will know whether the opposition can win around 20 seats in the Sarawak state elections. If they can win 25 then Barisan Nasional will lose its two-thirds majority in the Sarawak state assembly. And of course, if they can win at least 36 seats, then Pakatan Rakyat will form the new government and Baru Bian is going to take over from Taib Mahmud as the new Chief Minister of Sarawak.

36 seats, which gives the opposition a mere one-seat majority, is risky though. Then, tomorrow, we will see a frog festival and Barisan Nasional will get back the state. After all, knowing East Malaysian politics, surely there will be more than one frog in the 36 opposition winners. Even in West Malaysia we have frogs. What more in East Malaysia?

What would be interesting to see is, in the seats where there were three- or four-corner contests, if you add up the non-Barisan Nasional votes, did Barisan Nasional win with less than 50% of the votes? In other words, do the sum total of all the non-Barisan Nasional votes exceed that of what Barisan Nasional won? Therefore, if it had been a straight fight, would Barisan Nasional have lost that seat?

Anyway, we will know what the scenario is going to be very soon. Meanwhile, while we wait with bated breath, let us talk about another raging issue — the matter of my interview on national television.

Our fight is long term, not short term. We are not out to win a battle but eventually lose the war. We are out to eventually win the war even if we need to lose a few battles along the way. Germany won many battles but eventually lost the war. America won many battles but it eventually lost the Vietnam War. All through history have we seen battles won, but wars lost.

This is how we need to think and strategise.

I may be many things (arrogant, proud, quarrelsome, antagonistic, abrasive, crude in my language, defiant, stubborn, never listens to reason or advice, too trusting with Old Boys of MCKK, and many more — you add to this list) but one thing I am not is stupid.

For three years I have had to live under the stigma of my June 2008 Statutory Declaration. For three years both the pro-government and pro-opposition media have been spinning that I alleged in my SD that Rosmah Mansor, Kol Norhayati Hassan and Kol Aziz Buyong were at the scene the night Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered.

Time and time again I tried to correct this misperception. I tried, unsuccessfully, to explain that I did not make such an allegation. Instead, what I alleged was that a certain Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin made this allegation and since he is the number two in the Special Branch of the Military Intelligence then this is not a man-on-the-street talking but someone very crucial in the government.

When I was detained under the Internal Security Act in September 2008 and interrogated about this matter, I told a very senior man in the Special Branch, Datuk Zambri, the son-in-law of another very important man, Ahmad Sarji, the story behind the Statutory Declaration.

Since I was told that if anything were to happen to me I have permission to name names, I told Datuk Zambri that my source was Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin. I asked Datuk Zambri whether he knows Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin and he confirmed that he does, in fact, very well.

But instead of talking to Kol Azmi Zanial Abidin like I hoped they would, they packed me off to the Kamunting Detention Centre under a two-year Detention Order and Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin was not only spared but was also promoted from Lt Kol to full Colonel.

I get punished and Azmi Zainal Abidin gets promoted.

One thing that got me wondering, back in September 2008, was the smile Datuk Zambri gave me, before they nailed my coffin shut with the Detention Order, and the statement he made: do you not think that maybe they set a trap for you and you walked right into it and got a noose around your neck?

I, of course, brushed this off as the Special Branch playing with my mind and I dismissed this ‘theory’. Then, recently, a close friend met Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin and spoke to him about this matter. My friend asked him: why was Raja Petra set up? Since it was they who insisted that I sign the Statutory Declaration with a promise that the confidential military intelligence report would surface to help cover my back, why allow me to go down?

Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin just smiled and said nothing; so said my friend.

This was not the first time that Nik Azmi Nik Daud a.k.a. Bul set me up. That was why I was very cautious in dealing with him. The first time was when he gave me a story about the sister of an ex-Menteri Besar of Negeri Sembilan. I have known Bul since MCKK in 1963. That was even before I met my wife in 1968. So I trusted him and ran the story.

One day, I bumped into this sister of the ex-Menteri Besar in Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s office and she asked me the source of my story. She said the story is a lie and highly distorted. There is actually no truth in any of it.

I was shocked. She then asked me whether my story came from Bul and I sheepishly admitted it. “I thought so,” she said. But she never took the matter further. She just allowed it to pass. “I don’t blame you,” she said. “You trusted Bul and he fed you a lie.” She just wanted to let the matter rest.

So, when Bul came to me with this story of the night Altantuya was murdered, I did not want to pursue it. The story sounded very far-fetched anyway. Then he called me for a meeting a second time and, again, insisted I expose this. He was very insistent and wanted me to not just write about it but to do a Statutory Declaration on the matter.

I was still not comfortable with the story. I wanted to see a copy of that confidential Military Intelligence report. I was assured I would be given a copy.

Bul already lied to me once. So he could lie to me again. The only way I would do this would be if Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) and Anwar Ibrahim vouched for this man called Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin. Bul said both Ku Li and Anwar know him very well and that he goes to both Ku Li’s and Anwar’s office very often.

So I got John Pang and Din Merican to speak to Ku Li and Anwar respectively and to get their confirmation that, as I told Din, I can trust this Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin “with my life”.

“You should never trust anyone with your life,” Din said. Nevertheless, this Kol is extremely reliable and actually helps the opposition with a lot of very crucial information. “He is with us,” assured Din.

That was good enough for me. I would no longer trust Bul if he told me the sky is blue and the grass is green. But Ku Li and Anwar Ibrahim, whom I both trust, have given this Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin a clean bill of health and that was good enough for me.

(And my gut feeling about Bul was right. After trying to engineer Najib Tun Razak’s downfall, he now posts in the MCKK Old Boys chat group that he is a staunch Najib supporter and has been so from the very beginning.)

Then, when the shit hit the fan, my wife tried to meet Ku Li but he refused to meet her. My wife was screaming blue murder. Bul phoned my wife and told her that although Ku Li has refused to meet her she is still invited to his buka puasa.

“Tell Tengku Razaleigh to go fuck himself,” my wife replied.

My wife then demanded to meet Anwar and Tengku Vic and Sam Haris arranged for that meeting and sat through the meeting.

My wife told Anwar: the only reason my husband signed that Statutory Declaration is because of you and Ku Li. If not because of you and Ku Li he would not have signed it.

She then demanded that Anwar go meet Ku Li and talk to him about it, which Anwar did. But Ku Li washed his hands off the entire matter and this got my wife double-pissed.

“There is no way Ku Li or Anwar are going to become Prime Minister,” my wife swore. “These are leaders who have no principles. They get you to do something and then abandon you. I am going to make sure they pay for getting you into this.”

As they say, a woman scorned is a dangerous woman. And this was a woman who was clearly scorned big time. “Fuck Ku Li. Fuck Anwar,” she said. “They should be shot with a bullet in the head for taking my husband away from me.”

Why could I not make everyone understand that my allegation was not against Rosmah Mansor, Kol Aziz Buyong or Kol Norhayati Hassan? It was against Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin. The two Colonels sued me for RM1 million and the police arrested me and charged me for criminal defamation against Rosmah Mansor, Kol Aziz Buyong and Kol Norhayati Hassan.

Okay, if you want to charge me for criminal defamation, go on. I will face that. But charge me for criminal defamation against Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin, not against Rosmah Mansor, Kol Aziz Buyong and Kol Norhayati Hassan. I made an allegation against Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin, not against Rosmah Mansor, Kol Aziz Buyong or Kol Norhayati Hassan.

As I said, for three years I have had to live under the stigma of ‘defaming’ the wrong person. I never denied signing that Statutory Declaration. My name and signature are on it. But I refuse to face charges for a crime I never committed.

Charging me for defaming Rosmah Mansor, Kol Aziz Buyong and Kol Norhayati Hassan is the wrong charge. The right charge should be for defaming Kol Azmi Zainal Abidin.

And they must promise that that is the only charge I will face and not suddenly slap me with another ten other charges for other ‘crimes’.

Anyway, three years of writing and writing in an attempt to correct the misconception has come to nought. Even until today, in spite of the TV3 ‘storm’, the pro-opposition media still says I have done a U-turn. And this is the opposition media, mind you. What more the pro-government media?

A U-turn means I have reversed my story. When my story today is consistent with what I said in June 2008, how could that be a U-turn? So let’s not just whack the pro-government media and accuse them of lying. Even the pro-opposition media is lying.

I believe in freedom of speech and of the media. Maybe you have not noticed that even articles that condemn me are posted in Malaysia Today. Stories that insult me and vilify me are not banned from Malaysia Today.

Some say I do not practice what I preach and that I don’t tolerate criticism. The fact that you can say such things about me in your comments in Malaysia Today dispels this allegation. And are you not whacking me below the same articles that condemn me? How can I not tolerate criticism when the very articles invite criticism against me?

And freedom of speech works both ways. I too have freedom of speech. And when for three years I have been unjustly accused of doing something I did not do, I too have the right to speak.

However, for three years I failed to get the misconception corrected. Even until today the misconception remains with the U-turn stories in the media, both government and opposition. How do I get your attention? How do I make you see that my Statutory Declaration was not an allegation against Rosmah and the two Colonels but about the man from Military Intelligence?

When TV3 approached me for the interview, I had a long discussion with my wife and a few other Malaysians in Australia (pro-opposition people, may I add) about whether I should do the interview. Everyone was unanimous that I should. They all felt it is time I cleared my name and allow the true story to surface. And what better way than on national television?

“Why NOW?” many ask. What do you mean NOW? This is a three-year old matter. This is what I have saying for three years. For three years no one listened. Only NOW are you listening. And you are listening because it is now on national television.

I have waited three years for this. I have had to endure the shame and ridicule of being called a liar for signing that Statutory Declaration. Now I am suffering even more vilifying and am being accused of being a Trojan horse, turncoat, traitor and much more.

Never mind. I waited three years to clear up the misconception about my Statutory Declaration. I can afford to wait another three years to clear up this allegation of me being a Trojan horse, turncoat, traitor and much more.

Let us first see whether the opposition wins the 20 or so seats they expect to win today in Sarawak. Then we shall take it to the next level. I have just begun. We are not even halfway there and far from finished.

It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.

{youtube}AuB-kJrQiSI{/youtube}