RPK says detractors’ comments not important

(The Star) – Controversial blogger-in-exile Raja Petra Kamarudin has hit back at critics who have accused him of selling out to Barisan Nasional after he criticised Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in a recent interview with Mingguan Malaysia.

In his latest post on his website, he said he had expected the barrage of criticism unleashed against him once the interview was published as “not many could accept the truth”.

Dismissing comments in various online portals where readers questioned whether he had sold out or turned traitor against Anwar, he said the vast majority of their comments did not matter to him.

“The more important issue is, which category are you in? Are you amongst the less than four million Malaysians who voted Opposition in the last general election in 2008 or are you amongst the more than 11 million eligible voters who did not vote Opposition, did not vote at all, or did not even register to vote?

“Yes, I value your comments, but only if you fall in the first category of all those various groups above. If not, then your comments are of no significance. And that would probably mean almost all if not all of those who are commenting,” he wrote in his latest blog post Monday, questioning the majority of the commenters’ true commitment towards asserting their political rights.

Once a staunch Anwar supporter, RPK stunned many when he questioned whether Anwar was the best candidate to lead the country and said he “wasn’t impressed” with Anwar’s performance in Selangor.

“Have there been many drastic changes in Selangor? Definitely not. The feedback we have received reflects that corruption still remains at the same level, no decrease,” he said in the interview, which was also published in Berita Harian, The New Sunday Times and his online website Malaysia Today on Sunday.

RPK pointed out that it had been three years since Anwar was appointed Selangor’s economic advisor, and yet had gone for more than 60 overseas trips during that period instead of carrying out his duties.

“We tell him, stay in the country and carry out your duties in Pakatan. More than 60 trips overseas is really too extreme,” he said.