Friend: RPK was a Rambo for political generals

(The Star) PETALING JAYA: Fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin was merely playing Rambo at the behest of political “generals” who were out to topple the Government, claimed his London-based Malaysian friend.

Suflan Shamsuddin claimed that the generals, however, had now betrayed Raja Petra.

“He was willing to be the fall guy and expose a controversial story in his blog in support of the ambitions of these generals to wrest power,” he said in an article posted in news portal Malaysian Insider.

Raja Petra’s controversial Statutory Declaration implicating Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak‘s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaaribuu emerged in support of the ambitious generals, Suflan alleged.

“Such stories that he exposed are never untruths in themselves. But they are constructed in a way so as to create the most discomfort for those in power, which invariably puts RPK personally at risk whilst protecting the generals who might have ordered the hit,” he added.

Suflan said the aim was to prevent Najib from succeeding then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and to facilitate the transfer of power to one of the generals.

Suflan alleged that Raja Petra was given the assurance that he would be protected “if things went wrong”.

“However, the generals deserted Raja Petra when he got into trouble with the law.

“He took the fall, and the protection he thought was forthcoming never came,” he said, adding that Raja Petra should have seen it coming when the generals and intermediaries quickly distanced themselves when they smelt trouble.

Suflan also revealed that the Raja Petra interview aired recently over TV3 accurately depicted the story he had revealed to him in 2009.

“His story has never changed,” he said.

Suflan said Raja Petra was aware of the faults in both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional.

“But he is convinced that bringing the opposition to power is the necessary first step to building a sustainable two-party system for the future,” he said.

Suflan also refuted allegations that Raja Petra was staying at Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan‘s apartment in London.

“That is not correct. I know this for a fact, because up to the end of last year, when they (Raja Petra and his wife Marina) came down to London, they would stay with us,” he said.