An interview with a prime minister-in-waiting

This interview is a work of fiction and never happened and any similarities with a person or persons already dead, still alive, or about to die, is purely coincidental.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Datuk Seri, people are calling you the longest prime minister-in-waiting in the world who has been waiting for 32 years since 1987 to take over as Malaysia’s Prime Minister. What is your comment on the matter?

Well, these things take time. Nelson Mandela also had to wait 51 years from 1943 to 1994 to become the President of South Africa. So, I still have another 19 years to go to beat Mandela’s record. And I was in jail for less than ten years while Mandela spent 27 years in jail. So, kalau nak kira, not so bad lah.

In the early days of your political career, you called for a total ban on the English language and propagated for all signboards, correspondences, and so on, to be in Bahasa Malaysia. You even invented or coined many new Bahasa Malaysia words which originally did not exist. Do you regret your ultra-Malay stand of the 1970s?

I would not call myself an ultra-Malay…

But that was what the foreign media labelled you. In fact, they called you a firebrand.

Maybe firebrand is too harsh a word.

But did you not go around wearing Arab clothes and a white skull cap and you labelled those who wore western clothes and suits as kafir or infidels? In fact, it was you who started the kafir-mengkafir issue in the 1970s, long before PAS was blamed for it in the 1980s.

I think what I said was taken out of context. I did not say they are kafir. I said they act like kafir.

How can it have been taken out of context? You were anti-America and pro-Iran in 1979. When the Iran-Iraq War broke out in 1980, your ABIM movement sent a delegation to Iran as a show of support. They even went to the frontline where their bus got shot at.

Well, in the 1970s most Muslims were anti-America and pro-Iran. When the Iran-Iraq War broke out we took Iran’s side. It was the fashion then. But that does not mean I still maintain that stand today.

So, you have changed your stand and are now pro-America and anti-Iran.

I did not say that. We can be both pro-America and pro-Iran as the same time.

Okay, but now that America is hurting Iran’s economy very badly and people are suffering and children are dying because of the sanctions, what is your present stand? Do you support what America is doing to Iran?

No, I don’t support what America is doing….

So, you support Iran then.

I did not say I support Iran. You are putting words into my mouth. I support both America and Iran.

Okay, you support America but do not support what America is doing. What about America’s trade war with China? Do you support America’s trade sanctions on China?

No, I don’t.

So, you are pro-China?

I won’t say I am pro-China. I support both America and China.

Do you support Sharia laws, RUU355 and Hudud?

As a Muslim I have no choice but to support the Sharia.

Even Hudud?

Hudud is another matter.

But Hudud is part of the Sharia.

True, but then Hudud deals with criminal acts. We have other laws for criminal acts. Only when there are no common laws should Sharia laws apply.

So, in cases of sexual misconduct, say like sodomy, which laws should apply? Sharia laws or common laws?

We already have common laws for sexual misconduct so common laws should apply.

But for sexual misconduct such as adultery or sex outside marriage they are not crimes under common law but crimes under Sharia law. And Malaysia punishes Muslims who commit adultery or have sex outside marriage under the Sharia law. Is this not a violation of your civil liberties since crimes should come under common law and not Sharia law?

That is different.

In what way? Oral and anal sex between married couples are also punishable under common law but some Islamic scholars says these are not crimes under Islam. And since family matters come under Sharia laws how do you solve this confusion and inconsistency?

In this case common laws should apply.

But you also asked that your allegation of sodomy come under Sharia laws and not common laws. So, did you not also favour Sharia laws over common laws?

In my case it was different.

You said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is the biggest thief in Malaysian history and that he stole RM100 billion and that you have six boxes of evidence to support your allegation. So why do you now support him?

Actually, it is not so much I support him but more that we needed to use him to topple Umno and Barisan Nasional in the last general election.

So, do you support Mahathir or not?

I support him but only as far as to topple Umno and Barisan Nasional is concerned.

When do you want Mahathir to resign and hand power to you?

As agreed, by May next year.

That is about eight months from now. What if Mahathir does not hand power to you in May?

That is the agreement.

But what if he does not allow you to take over? What are you going to do?

That is the agreement between Mahathir and me.

Okay, Datuk Seri, thank you so much for agreeing to this interview. I wish you luck and I know you are going to need it if you wish take over as PM8 in May 2020.

Thank you, RPK.