RPK: A caped crusader or a charlatan?

But a mere blogger, he is not. The very fact that he was highlighted in the media by Najib, Muhyiddin, Anwar, Jui Meng, Surendran and other political heavyweights proves that he is not a pushover and someone to be reckoned with. If he is just a blogger, as everyone made him out to be, no one would pay attention to him and he definitely won’t be in the front pages of the media or on prime time television.

LETTER: From Iskandar Dzulkarnain, v ia e-mail

Lately, I read in amusement news reports of Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) calling Anwar Ibrahim ‘chicken’ for refusing to appear together in a Wikileaks sponsored debate. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin couldn’t resist taking a dig at Anwar on this episode. Premier Najib too joined in the discourse to discredit Anwar for chickening out.

Not to be outdone, Opposition leaders like Chua Jui Meng, N Surendran and SI Tan came out with a strong worded statement denouncing RPK as a mere blogger, a running dog running a little blog called Malaysia Today (MT), not worthy to debate with their eminent and inspiring leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Believe it or not, everyone was exploiting the issue for their self gain, while RPK was bounced about like a basketball between the two political giants. Glaring was the fact that pro BN supporters were making a hero out of RPK, while the Opposition was crucifying him mercilessly calling him a discredited blogger, a fugitive on the run and a turncoat. And to think that RPK was once revered by the Opposition coalition!

MT is not just an ordinary blog. MT was one of the first Alternative Media which made an impact and a lasting impression on the political landscape, and today there are many so-called Alternative Media trying to mimic its footsteps. The continuous and damaging expose’s from MT has sent shivers down the spine of unscrupulous politicians out to make a fast buck, and it has rattled the present government.

MT has also created and nurtured an alternative media that has shaken the credibility of the mainstream media. People were beginning to sense that there was more to what the MSM had to offer. One by one, they have started to turn to the alternative media for alternative views. No one can deny that RPK and MT were instrumental in the GE12 tsunami that swept through the country.

Unwittingly, he also created a large following of adoring and adulating fans, who hungered for his next blog-buster episode, and depended on MT for their daily dosage of political conspiracies.

When RPK absolved the first couple Najib and Rosmah from the Altantuya murder, everyone was shocked, disappointed and felt letdown. RPK had deserted them, or so it seemed. Their sadness turned to anger, and today these same Opposition supporters are the most vocal against him. It is incredible how fast people’s minds changes and how vindictive they can become?

But a mere blogger, he is not. The very fact that he was highlighted in the media by Najib, Muhyiddin, Anwar, Jui Meng, Surendran and other political heavyweights proves that he is not a pushover and someone to be reckoned with. If he is just a blogger, as everyone made him out to be, no one would pay attention to him and he definitely won’t be in the front pages of the media or on prime time television.

Deepthroats within the government and the corporate world exploited Malaysia Today to reveal the dirty secrets of corruption, cruelty and power abuse that has shocked the corridors of power. Since the appearance of MT, many corrupted politicians, Civil Service chiefs and corporate leaders have gone underground, fearing revelations of their misdeeds.

RPK did achieve fame but at a horrendous price. Instead of making a fortune he became a fugitive, hunted and abhorred, even by his own supporters.

The Opposition Front, to whom he has given his life to champion their cause, has turned against him, and their leaders are openly alleging that he has been bought over. To top it all, pro government supporters are starting to give him the space, when the Opposition has shut him out.

He once stated that his only wish was to see a government change in his life time, and that the country he loves will achieve a full democracy.

Even if he did not see it coming, MT has changed from a pro Opposition blog into a neutral weblog, totally independent and beholden to no one. Gone are the biasness towards the current government and it aims to report the truth in its entirety.

While before he was totally focused on an Opposition victory, today he is more concerned about the alleged corruption affecting the Opposition coalition. Like he once said: “Why bother to bury a corrupt government, only to be replaced by another one?!” Any form of graft have to be weeded out, whether from the ruling coalition or the Opposition. No one is immune.

So as MT continued to expose the shortcomings, graft and abuse of the ruling government, much to the quiet amusement of the Opposition who sat on their armchairs watching the show with glee, MT has turned around to fire a salvo at the Opposition for the same misdemeanour.

See the shock on the faces of the Opposition leaders whose faces turned black with rage and started calling RPK all kind of names. Opposition supporters also joined the chorus to denounce him as a fraud and a charlatan. No one would acknowledge the fact that the angelic PR government can be capable of graft and abuse of power.

Today, RPK continues his fight alone, taking all the negative criticism in stride with a shake of his head. Tainted leaders from both sides of the political divide continue to fear him and the horrifying thought that their wrongdoings may one day be splashed on the pages of Malaysia Today for the world to see.

He is the least concerned what his supporters may think of him, so long as they continue to support a free and fair government. He’d rather reach out to the fencesitters and the blind supporters of the current regime than to waste his time trying to debunk all the myths about him to the supporters who are already loyal to the cause.

Mind you, he doesn’t need to be an elected representative to champion the cause. His daily ICBM salvoes are already making waves and keeping the respective governments on their toes.

While all the superheroes we know remain in the pages of comic books and the silver screen, here we may have one in real life; in the form of RPK, a lone crusader, and an outcast fugitive fighting for a better Malaysia.

There are those who challenge him to return to this country to face the music, but it would be better for him to stay put in England in his little study, closing the window blinds, and listening to the gentle sounds of Pink Floyd while contemplating his next salvo that will shake the political hierarchy of this country.

Should the Opposition alliance finally attain Putrajaya one day, we can be sure that no one will bother to give him the due credit he rightly deserves. What a sad ending!