Raja Petra Out On Bail

Raja Petra out, explains U-turn on bail

Raja Petra was charged with sedition - Video

Raja Petra was charged with sedition Courtesy of Mediarakyat

About the law of sedition - Video

About the law of sedition - The People's Parliament

RPK's struggle must not be in vain

Marina Lee : Is Parliament still relevant? Wednesday, 07 May 2008 "... when freedom of speech is being brutally subverted by the present regime and false charges can be instituted against anyone who dares to demand for justice and truth." As a wife and mother, I want to know from my fellow citizens whether a government that has incarcerated my husband in the Sungai Buloh prison on trumped up charges and brought untold suffering on my family, especially when one of my daughters is sitting for her final examinations, is a legitimate government. No wife, mother or child should to go through this horrible experience when all her beloved husband did was to uphold justice and truth. On 2nd May 2008, the Armed Might of the regime was unleashed on my family when they came to my house in search of evidence for some alleged crime that my husband was supposed to have committed. I thought that this can only happen in a Gestapo state but not in my beloved Malaysia. You be the judge of this. The police came in the morning and desecrated the sanctity of my home for the fourth time. The fact that this had occurred previously does not make it any easier for my daughter and me. I wish that such nightmares can be forgotten, but let me tell you, especially mothers and wives, that the pain will never go away and that it is only our family's self esteem and strength and our faith in god that has enabled us to withstand and overcome the trauma and pain that we have suffered together. I pray that no mother and wife will have to suffer and experience what I had with my beloved husband and my family. Before we had time to recover our composure, the police handed us a summons to appear before the CCID the following day. However, at 3.15pm, we received a call to appear at 4.00pm on the same day. My suspicions for this sudden change in the time for my husband to be interrogated was to prevent publicity and the exposure of their dastardly deeds. Can anyone of you imagine what I, as a wife and mother, had to go through emotionally and psychologically when accompanying my husband to be interrogated by the police when on a previous occasion in 2000, he was brutally assaulted in my presence? I could not express my anxiety to my husband on the way to the CCID, as I know that my strength and resoluteness would be critical to enable my husband to face his interrogators. He must have also felt the same for me and so both of us, thinking alike kept our silence. But we were determined to see this through together hell or high water. The Petras’ are not some tofus!! We have enough strength and dignity to overcome such adversity. My daughter suffered in silence and despite her age, she held up magnificently and no mother can be more proud than I to have such a daughter. As we approached the CCID, tears welled in my eyes, but they were not tears of fear, sadness or trepidation, but the expression of my determination and faith that my husband’s struggle will ensure a better future for my daughter and the children of a better Malaysia. I am proud to say that my husband overcame the intrigues and schemes and came out unscathed. But we knew that this was a mere prelude to more brutality that will be inflicted on my family. The events of yesterday’s circus are known to all. But what was most telling was the deafening silence of the judiciary and the bar council which supposedly are the guardians of justice and equality. The dinner that was orchestrated by Pak Lah, his law minister and other cronies that allegedly ushered “a new era” for an independent and fearless judiciary in upholding justice and human rights, makes me wonder if such an institution that was promised was a fantasy in the light of my experience. Today, my daughter and I went to the Sungai Buloh prison to visit my husband but we were told that he had no wish to see anyone, not even any member of the family or lawyers. I was shocked and disturbed by this turn of events as it can only mean that my husband is determined to endure the pain of incarceration and humiliation of being subjected to and treated like a common criminal for upholding the freedom of speech and justice. Being married to him for 35 years, I know only too well that he is capable of making sacrifices for truth, justice and freedom. I suspect that when I was told that he did not want to see me, that he would be taking the ultimate step – to go on a hunger strike to demonstrate his determination to uphold the cause of truth and justice. I have nothing more to say, as I am thoroughly exhausted by the turn of events and can only hope and pray that my fellow citizens, especially wives and mothers out there, that you would all come together to protest and to demand for my beloved husband's freedom and that you will call upon your member of parliament to boycott parliament as a gesture of support for my husband’s struggle. His struggle must not be in vain. We as a family will see this through but we will only be able to cope if we know that good and god fearing people like you will be there and standing together with us shoulder to shoulder to strike a fatal blow against tyranny and for justice and truth and for my husband’s freedom. Marina Lee ...link

An Open Letter to RPK

An Open Letter to RPK Wednesday, 07 May 2008 Dear Raja Petra, You must not languish in custody. We have to get you out on bail. If on ground of principle, you do not wish to pay it, I will pay it. It's extremely important that you come back to us to continue your courageous acts. I have been telling my children that if there is a Malaysian role-model we can look to, it is none of the BN goons, certainly not the Prime Minister and his cohorts, absolutely not the so-called spaceman, nor the sailor who fell from grace with the sea and yet got celebrated. The real Malaysian role-model is you, sir. For courage, for standing up for what you believe in, for defying oppression, for exposing the truth despite the odds. This is a time for heroes. And we need our heroes to be free, to fight, to stand up for us all. Not spend time in prison. We need the truth to be made known. We need the truth to set our beloved country free. We need you to be free. Sincerely, Kee Thuan Chye ...link

Civil Society Groups Express Solidarity with RPK

CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN - Press Statement Wednesday, 07 May 2008 It is with great concern that we, representing several Civil Society Action Groups, note that Raja Petra Kamarudin, Editor of news portal and blog, “Malaysia Today”, has been charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions court with sedition in connection with an article he wrote and posted up at www.malaysia-today.net on April 25, 2008. We call on all Malaysians concerned with the freedom of information and speech to stand up in support of a fellow Malaysian who has been writing “without fear or favour” on issues of public and national concern. The charge against Raja Petra is in connection with a Post entitled “Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell” in which he raised pertinent questions on various facts of the case that are already within the domain of public knowledge. In our view the sedition charge is malicious and without merit. It is also politically motivated and aimed at silencing one of the most eloquent, dedicated and uncompromising voices speaking in defense of the rights of Malaysians and against the abuse of power stemming from the highest level of government and authority. We urge the Government to re-consider its action in pursuing what is being perceived in the country and internationally as blatantly selective and repressive persecution. The action not only runs counter to the Government’s expressed promotion of a democratic, informed and participatory society. It also smacks of a renewal of the tactics of fear and intimidation which were recently resoundingly rejected by the Malaysian electorate. We are disappointed that, despite the Government’s rhetoric of learning from its past mistakes, it continues to rely on heavy handed authoritarian means to instill fear and to discourage its citizens from freely engaging in public discourse. This action of the Government coming just a few days after World Press Freedom Day (which fell on May 3) especially makes a mockery of the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s expression of commitment to democratic and social reforms to promote a more open and transparent government. We stress that a draconian law such as the Sedition Act has no place in a democratic society. Unlike the law on defamation, one cannot defend him/herself from a charge of sedition on the ground of truthfulness. In other words, messengers may be shot for simply uttering the truth. That the State is willing to use its instruments to charge Raja Petra for sedition instead of the aggrieved party resorting to civil defamation points to the need for thorough reform of our media laws. This is not a new demand but one which has been consistently raised by civil society. As civil society action groups, we call upon all political parties, non-government organizations and individuals to express their concern and to show solidarity with Raja Petra. All freedom loving Malaysians must impress on the Government the need to withdraw this obnoxious action against a conscientious writer and true Malaysian. Finally, we urge fellow Malaysians to respond positively to a coordinated initiative now being planned to raise funds (a token amount of RM1 per person) in defence of Raja Petra and to show our solidarity for a national cause aimed at protecting and promoting our freedom of speech. Press Statement issued jointly by: Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) Bernard Khoo, For Ahirudin Attan President, Interim Council National Alliance of Bloggers Wong Chin Huat Chairperson, Writer Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) Gayathry V. Executive Director Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Ser Choon Ing Chairman of Civil Rights Committee KL and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall ...more

Sedition charge raises more questions

Sedition charge raises more questions Dr Mustafa K Anuar & Anil Netto May 7, 2008 Charter 2000-Aliran is appalled by the Malaysian authorities' action in charging prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin with sedition for allegedly implying that deputy prime minister Najib Razak was involved in the sensational killing of a young Mongolian woman. The sedition charge stems from a April 25 article entitled ‘Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell’ that Raja Petra posted on his popular ‘Malaysia Today’ website. We, like many other concerned Malaysians, are shocked that such a sedition charged has been used against Raja Petra as opposed to a more appropriate action that could have been taken by the aggrieved party (i.e. Najib and wife), which is to sue Raja Petra for supposed defamation. Raja Petra now sits in remand in Sungai Buloh Prison after refusing bail, and he will remain there until Oct 6 when his trial begins. If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three years and/or face a fine of up to RM5,000. Under the Sedition Act, a ‘seditious tendency’ implies, among other things, ‘a tendency to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against any ruler or against any government’. Are we to conclude that alleging complicity in a murder case on the part of a government leader is tantamount to causing the Malaysian public to go against the entire (federal) government? Would one supposedly rotten apple spoil the whole tree? The authorities’ action only raises more questions. It raises suspicion that it is meant not only to politically bludgeon Raja Petra but also to make an example of him for the rest of the blogging fraternity and civil society. Many Malaysians are clearly not impressed with the latest turn of events. In a sense, it reveals just how out of touch the authorities are with the new political realities after March 8 especially in dealing with an electorate that now demands greater respect for freedom of the media and of expression. The writers are coordinators, Charter 2000-Aliran. Malaysiakini - Letters

Raja Petra's charge: What double standard is this?

Raja Petra's charge: What double standard is this? Hamdan Ibrahim May 7, 2008 I refer to the Malaysiakini report Raja Petra charged, chooses jail over bail. Our own version of Mahatma Ghandi, Raja Petra who chooses jail rather than bail on his sedition charges had won the respect of the public for his steadfast principle to stick to his guns come what may. By going to jail, he will put the government in the spot as public sentiment will be on his side. What a brilliant strategy on Raja Petra’s side to put the government on the defensive. Selective persecution seem to be the weapon of choice of the authorities to stop bloggers from giving their two sen of opinion on the Internet. One wonder if the present regime is trying to silence dissenting voices from reaching the public by charging a well-known blogger. Raja Petra’s well-written and hardhitting articles on the high-profile Mongolian murder case have hit a raw nerve among those top guns whom names he mentions in his blog. Presently there are a lot of corruption cases among the ruling elite, cases which seem to gather dust in the public prosecutor’s office. But once the cases involve the opposition members, just a trivial thing can land the individuals in jail. What double standard is this? Raja Petra might not be the first person to face the wrath of the law by publishing interesting articles which ridicule corrupt politicians on their misdeeds but now other bloggers too must watch their backs as what they post on the Internet might make them to be on the ‘wrong side’ of the law and they will have to face the music as well. When will the government ever learn that you cannot control information from reaching out to the public in this global world that we live in. The mainstream media is not the choice of the reading public what with their stale news. We cannot prevent people from reading the alternative medias and blogs for information on the wheelings and dealings of the ruling elite as they empty public coffers. More often than not, their articles are true as compared to mainstream news media controlled by the government. Our freedom of speech is under assault today with the jailing of Raja Petra and one can only hope that other brave souls who dare to expose the misdeeds of the ruling elite will not be cowed by this unfortunate incident and will continue to report the truth about what is wrong with this country. This despite that it might expose the high and mighty’s lack of integrity while they are in power. Raja Petra is a torchbearer of the good against evil in this country. Let us all decent Malaysians pray and at the same time donate some token sum to his defence team. May his ultimate sacrifice in going to jail galvanise other decent people to speak out loud and clear on what is wrong in this country. We cannot allow corrupt politicians to have it their way by intimidating and jailing those who expose public officials misdeeds in public. Only tyrants with their vain ego still thinks that they can control the people with government apparatus and stop dissenting voices from being heard. Let us hope our strong opposition in Parliament will bring up Raja Petra’s case which is seen as nothing but political persecution by all right-thinking members of the public. Malaysiakini - Letters

Bloggers: Sedition charge politically motivated - Malaysiakini

Bloggers: Sedition charge politically motivated S Pathmawathy - Malaysiakini May 7, 2008 An alliance of civil society groups and bloggers today expressed their solidarity and support to Raja Petra Kamarudin and blog commentator Syed Akbar Ali, who were separately charged with sedition yesterday. "We are seated here in solidarity for fellow writers and bloggers to make our stand on similar action that may be taken against other writers and journalists in future," said Interim Council National Alliance of Bloggers president Ahirudin Attan. "This move is politically motivated and aimed at silencing a principled and uncompromising voice speaking against the abuse of power," he said in a group statement. "We urge the government to re-consider its actions what is being perceived to be blatantly selective and repressive persecution. "In our view the sedition charge is malicious and without merit," he said. Selective persecution Dr Lim Teck Ghee of the Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) said the issue carries momentous implications for the freedom of speech and freedom of expression in the country. "This case is very clearly one of selective political persecution," he said. "It is an old law and based on a law which is obsolete and should have no place in a democratic society. "If his voice and similar voices are continually silenced it would be a very sad day for Malaysia," he said. The alliance also said that the Sedition Act expresses the idea that "the messenger may be shot for simply uttering the truth". "The fact that the charge against Raja Petra comes just days after commemorating World Press Freedom day is very shocking," said Centre for Independent Journalism executive director V Gayathry. She said Raja Petra has yielded a following in the public sphere. "Issues that come up in his posting are reflection on how people see the justice being meted out in this country," she said. Bernard Khoo (left), a blogger who goes by the name of 'Zorro-unmasked' said "we blog because we want to say what has to be said". "We blog because there are people out there who listen to what we say … we are willing to put our necks on the line so that what we say gets to the people who listen," he said.

Malaysian blogger jailed - AP

Malaysian blogger jailed over article allegedly implicating deputy leader in killing The Associated Press Tuesday, May 6, 2008 KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A prominent Malaysian blogger was charged Tuesday with sedition for allegedly implying the deputy prime minister was involved in the sensational killing of a young Mongolian woman. Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin, who has not denied that he linked Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak to the slaying, pleaded innocent to the charge, telling reporters that he should have the right to hold the powerful accountable for wrongdoing. He was taken to prison after he refused to post bail. The court set the trial for Oct. 6. If convicted, he faces up to three years in jail. "I am not posting bail. See you guys in October," Raja Petra told supporters before police took him away. "I will be out for Christmas. Don't worry." Dozens of opposition members and bloggers gathered to show support for Raja Petra outside the Kuala Lumpur court where he was charged. They said they would raise public donations to post bail for him later. "Raja Petra has done a lot to raise people's awareness of issues," said Nurul Izzah Anwar, an opposition member of Parliament and daughter of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. "This is an attempt to clamp down on all sorts of freedom," she said. The sedition charge stems from an April 25 article titled "Let's Send the Altantuya Murderers to Hell" that Raja Petra posted on his popular Web site Malaysia Today. The article allegedly implies that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were involved in the 2006 killing in Malaysia of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old Mongolian interpreter. Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, is charged with abetting the murder. Two policemen have been accused of killing her and destroying her body with explosives in a jungle clearing. The trial of the three men began in June 2007 and is under way. The prosecution contends that Abdul Razak had the woman killed because she pestered him for money after he ended their affair. ...more