Anwar, jangan urus PKR sebagai "kedai runcit" - Raja Petra

Editor Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin, yang telah dikeluarkan waran tangkap oleh mahkamah kelmarin, terus memuatkan tulisan beliau sambil menggesa pengunjungnya agar memberi komen yang konstruktif, bukannya ulasan yang boleh 'memusnahkan' laman web tersebut.

Malah, Raja Petra yang kini berada dalam "buangan kendiri" di luar Selangor ekoran perselisihan dengan Kerabat Diraja negeri itu menekankan, Malaysia Today bukan merupakan laman web yang propembangkang ataupun antikerajaan semata-mata.

Selain itu, dalam tulisannya semalam beliau menggesa Penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim supaya tidak menguruskan parti itu seakan-akan sebuah kedai runcit.

Beliau mengemukakan pandangan itu bagi mewajarkan bahawa Malaysia Today bukan laman web yang memuji atau mengecam satu-satu pihak sahaja.

"Tidak... Malaysia Today bukan propembangkang dan antikerajaan semata-mata.

"Apatah lagi bukan kesemua negeri berada di bawah Barisan Nasional (BN). Beberapa negeri berada bawah Pakatan Rakyat.

"Jadi, Pakatan Rakyat juga kerajaan. Dan, kita kita mengkritik kerajaan-kerajaan negeri, bermakna Paktan Rakyat," katanya.

Walaupun Pakatan Rakyat hanya berusia setahun, berbanding BN, terdapat aspek yang sudah cukup untuk dikritik.

Sebagai contoh katanya, Anwar, yang juga Ketua Umum Pakatan Rakyat, mengendalikan PKR sebagai 'entiti kawalan peribadinya'.

"Kemungkinan 10 tahun lalu, pada 1999, ia mungkin boleh diamalkan. Ketika itu, Parti Keadilan seperti kedai runcit. Jadi anda boleh kendalikan parti seperti kedai runcit," katanya.

Bagaimanapun menurut beliau, sepanjang satu dekad yang lalu PKR telah berkembang daripada sebuah "kedai runcit menjadi pasar raya besar."

"Tetapi Anwar masih menguruskan parti ini seperti kedai runcit, bukan seperti pasar raya besar yang ia telah berkembang sehingga sekarang," katanya lagi.

Beliau tidak merujuk kes-kes khusus bagi menggambarkan amalan "kedai runcit" di pihak Anwar, bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri dan Menteri Kewangan sehingga 1998.

Sambil menekankan ia sebagai satu kegagalan Anwar, Raja Petra menulis lagi, "beliau (Anwar) menganggap beliau sebagai pemimpin seorang yang bagus."

"Seorang pemimpin yang bagus bukan hanya mengendalikan partinya seorang diri. Seorang pemimpin yang bagus adalah pemimpin yang menguruskan orang dalam parti," jelas Raja Petra yang pernah digambarkan sebagai penyokong kuat Anwar dan PKR serta Pakatan Rakyat.

Oleh itu tambah beliau, Anwar mesti belajar untuk menguruskan orang-orang di bawahnya dengan baik.

"Terdapat ramai yang berbakat dalam partinya. Turunkan tanggungjawab kepada mereka dan biarkan mereka menguruskan parti menggunakan kebijaksanaan dan pertimbangan masing-masing," katanya.

Mahkamah Sesyen di sini mengeluarkan waran tangkap terhadap Raja Petra selepas beliau tidak hadir untuk perbicaraan kes hasutannya kelmarin.

Hakim Rozina Ayob juga mengeluarkan surat tunjuk sebab kepada isteri Raja Petra, Mable @ Marina Lee, selaku penjamin.

Peguam Raja Petra, J. Chandra memberitahu mahkamah bahawa beliau tidak dapat menghubungi anak guamnya dan tidak dimaklumkan mengenai sebab penulis blog itu tidak dapat hadir.

Bagaimanapun, katanya, Raja Petra menulis alasannya pada blognya pagi kelmarin dengan menyatakan bahawa diri dalam buangan daripada negeri Selangor kerana ada isu dengan Sultan Selangor.

Raja Petra, 59, didakwa menerbitkan satu artikel bertajuk ""Let's Send Altantuya Murderers To Hell" yang mengandungi ayatayat menghasut di laman web http://www.Malaysia Today.com.Dia didakwa melakukan perbuatan itu dirumahnya di No.5, Jalan BRP 5/5, Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh, pada 25 April tahun lepas.

Rozina menetapkan 22 Mei untuk sebutan kes.

- MSTAR

'Hukuman buang daerah' kendiri, waran tangkap atas Raja Petra

Gara-gara 'jalani hukuman buang daerah kendiri', Mahkamah Sesyen Petaling Jaya mengeluarkan waran tangkap terhadap editor Malaysia Today, Raja Petra Kamarudin pagi ini selepas beliau gagal hadiri perbicaraan berkaitan kes hasutan.

Peguamnya, J. Chandra memaklumkan Hakim Rozina Ayob, Raja Petra tidak hadir kerana beliau sedang menjalani "hukuman buang daerah kendiri" dari Selangor "atas sebab yang semua sedia maklum."

"Anda 'lebih tahu sebab-sebabnya'... jadi sila kemukakan kepada mahkamah," kata Rozina.

"Tertuduh telah memuatkan sebab-sebabnya dalam laman web (Malaysia Today) beliau pagi ini," kata Chandra lagi.

"Adakah anda mengharapkan mahkamah menelitinya... adakah begitu?" jawab Rozina.

Chandra kemudian menjelaskan bahawa sejak sebulan lalu, Raja Petra, 58, telah memuatkan rencana ataupun komen-komen berkaitan dengan Kerabat Diraja Selangor yang telah menyinggung beberapa anggota keluarganya yang turut menuntut permohonan maaf daripada beliau.

Timbalan Pendakwa Raya Shahidani Aziz memohon dikeluarkan waran tangkap terhadap Raja Petra dan notis tunjuk sebab kepada isterinya, Marina yang juga penjamin baginya.

Rozina membenarkan kedua-dua permintaan itu dan menetapkan 22 Mei ini sebagai tarikh sebutan.

Kandungan artikel Raja Petra yang disiarkan dalam laman webnya pagi ini:

"I wish to explain why I am not going to be present in court today, 23rd April 2009. Firstly, it involves my recent dispute with the Selangor Palace. This dispute was due to my open letter to the Perak Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, which I wrote on 2nd March 2009 in response to the ongoing Perak Constitutional Crisis. My family said I had acted in a treasonous manner and they wanted me to issue a public apology to the Sultan of Perak.

"I refused to comply with my family’s demand and instead wrote two articles condemning the Perak Palace for violating the Federal Constitution of Malaysia and for ignoring the wishes of the rakyat. My opinion is no different from that of NH Chan, the former Court of Appeal judge, which you can read in the addendum below.

"The Sultan of Selangor was very angry and that triggered a conflict between our two families. My family told me I had brought shame to the family name and they demanded that I attend a family meeting to discuss the matter. However, I did not attend that family meeting and this aggravated the situation.

"My family then gave me an ultimatum. I was to either make that public apology or else my family would insert an advertisement in the mainstream newspapers practically distancing itself from me, which could be interpreted as disowning me. My response to that was, and in accordance with the normal action to be taken against a member of the kerabat who durhaka, I went into exile outside Selangor. As a matter of fact, I even missed two recent family funerals, as I could not and would not step foot in Selangor ever again.

"It has to be noted that this has always been the punishment for any member of the Selangor Royal Family who is considered durhaka since the beginning of the Selangor Sultanate more than 250 years ago. My grandfather, Sultan Musa, was in fact subjected to that same punishment and it is the only punishment befitting a member of the Selangor Royal Family who has courted the displeasure of the Palace.

"This means, in short, I can no longer attend the court hearing as the same is heard in Petaling Jaya, which is invariably within the state of Selangor.

"The second reason is as follows:

"In September 2008, I was detained under the Internal Security Act for what I was alleged to have written regarding the Altantuya murder and the alleged links to those who walk in the corridors of power. However, I am already facing trial on sedition and criminal defamation charges in this court as well as in the Kuala Lumpur court.

"Now, my ISA detention in September 2008 was for the same crime as what I have been charged in this court (sedition) and in the Kuala Lumpur court (criminal defamation). This means I am being punished twice for the same crime and the law does not provide for one to be punished twice for the same crime.

"No doubt, in November 2008, the Shah Alam court ruled my detention illegal and subsequently ordered my release. Nevertheless, the government is appealing this decision, giving a clear indication that it wants me back in Kamunting whereby I will face punishment without trial on top of the two trials I am being made to face -- which, as I said, are for those same crimes.

"The events of late do not give me any confidence that I will get a fair trial. Even if the Petaling Jaya court acquits me, they can still appeal the decision of the court like what they are doing with the Shah Alam court’s decision to free me from ISA detention. And the manner the Federal Court conducted itself during the recent ISA appeal hearing is very troubling indeed and borders on unprofessional conduct.

"Finally, my open letter to Nizar Jamaluddin has been classified as treason and the government wants to charge me for treason. The fact that no such law exists will not stop them as they can use the ‘waging war against the King’ law that they used against some of the Al Maunah members, which resulted in them being hanged in the Sungai Buloh Prison in October 2006.

"Many of my friends have spotted police vehicles parked outside their house. Others have noticed police officers loitering in front of their residence while some have been summoned to Bukit Aman for interrogation. The police want them to reveal where I am currently residing.

"Why are the police looking for me? Two months ago, the Federal Court was in a hurry to hear the appeal against my release from ISA detention. After impatiently rejecting all our applications and refusing to allow us time to file the necessary papers, the court suddenly went cold and nothing was heard from it since.

"This got me very suspicious. I did some checking and have reason to believe that a new detention order has been issued and that is why the police are looking for me. If I were to turn up in court today I would never be allowed to leave. The police would immediately detain me and send me to Kamunting and this time I shall not be so fortunate as to see freedom in two months like in the last two occasions.

"After two ISA detentions, I do not plan to allow them to get me so easily the third time around. I also refuse to face treason charges that will result in me being sent to the gallows. I love my life and wish to remain alive a few years longer if possible.

"Those are the reasons I am not in court today. I shall, however, attend the court hearing when the situation permits, i.e., I am no longer to be charged for treason and I get an assurance from the powers-that-be that the Government’s appeal against my ISA release is withdrawn forthwith and that no new detention order has been issued. After all, if the Razak Baginda acquittal was not appealed upon, why am I being treated differently?

Raja Petra Bin Raja Kamarudin

LATAR BELAKANG KES

Raja Petra dituduh pada 6 Mei lalu kerana menulis artikel mengenai pembunuhan seorang wanita Monggolia, Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Beliau minta dibicarakan kerana menerbitkan artikel yang didakwa menghasut. Raja Petra juga menjadi penulis blog pertama yang dituduh di bawah Akta Hasutan.

Artikel yang bertajuk Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell dikatakan mengandungi sembilan perenggan kata-kata menghasut.

Petra dituduh melakukan kesalahan itu di rumahnya di Jalan BRP 5/5, Bukit Rahman Putra, Sungai Buloh pada 25 April lalu.

Jika disabitkan kesalahan, beliau boleh didenda maksimum RM5,000 atau tiga tahun penjara atau kedua-duanya sekali di bawah seksyen 4(1)(c) Akta Hasutan.

- MSTAR

Whom can we trust, PAS or Umno? (Kuala Terengganu Election)

Raja Petra Kamarudin

This was what The Nut Graph wrote yesterday:

Poor Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh. Much has been made of his looks and demeanour in an election where perception could turn out to mean everything.

As the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate in the Kuala Terengganu parliamentary by-election, Wan Farid has been advised to smile more and behave less snobbishly. In this semi-urban east coast constituency, people want their elected representative to be friendly, accessible, and to possess the human touch.

Though a local boy, the 46-year-old former lawyer grew up in a privileged family of civil servants. During the campaigning, remarks have been passed that he should wear the kain pelikat (sarong) more when canvassing among the locals. He's also been advised to not be afraid to sit on the floor of homes to show that he is one of them.

Perception problems

Another perception problem Wan Farid faces is his links to outgoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He was the premier's political secretary for four years, before being appointed senator and made deputy home minister after the March 2008 general election. He has since resigned from both positions to contest in the Kuala Terengganu by-election.

Additionally, it didn't help the BN campaign when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad described Wan Farid as Abdullah's proxy.

Wan Farid also got caught in the web of allegations that Abdullah's cronies were given the contracts to build the Pulau Duyong marine facilities to host the annual Monsoon Cup sailing competition, and the Islamic theme park on Pulau Wan Man.

His candidacy has appeared to put BN on the defensive in this campaign. Top leaders including Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak have been giving one explanation after another on Wan Farid's perceived aloofness, the proxy allegation, and his capabilities as a first-time candidate.

Development gains

Wan Farid's campaign message rides on the BN's development track record. He is positioned as a representative who will be able to help the electorate because of the government machinery behind him.

Najib has also promised that Wan Farid will be reappointed as a deputy minister if he wins this election. The message to voters is that Wan Farid, as a deputy minister, would have better access to federal help than a PAS Member of Parliament (MP).

However, his former ministerial post is being used against him in Pakatan Rakyat ceramah. The opposition alliance has used blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, who was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), to speak against Wan Farid, although it is the home minister who signs detention orders.

"If he wins and becomes deputy home minister again, he will sign orders to detain people like you and me under ISA," Raja Petra told a largely Chinese crowd at a ceramah in Bandar Baru, Pulau Kambing on 9 Jan.

Internal factionalism

Politically, the former senator and deputy home minister has never contested an election, whether at state or parliamentary level

In Umno, Wan Farid is the party's two-term Kuala Terengganu division chief. He won the post uncontested the second time in divisional elections in July 2008. Despite this show of Umno grassroots unity, factionalism within the division has given the opposition PAS leverage to run down his candidacy.

PAS has drawn comparisons between Wan Farid and the previous MP and deputy education minister, Datuk Razali Ismail, whose death in November 2008 forced this by-election. Razali was liked for his efforts to improve education in the state. He beat his PAS contender, the popular Mohamad Sabu, in the 2008 general election by a slim majority of 628 votes.

During the campaign, Wan Farid has been forced to say that as division chief, he never sidelined Razali, who ran for the division's vice-chief post but lost to Wan Farid's brother, Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh.

Thus, the BN's announcement of Wan Farid as their candidate two weeks ahead of nomination day on 6 Jan was seen as a move to give the factions time to cool down and unite.

Wan Farid has denied any internal rivalry and said his early candidacy gave him an edge to know voters better. He will face PAS's Abdul Wahid Endut and independent Azharudin Mamat @ Adam in the 17 Jan polls.

The Nut Graph managed to interview Wan Farid, who is the father of six girls, on a campaign stop. He was at a kampung in Kuala Bekah, where a Rural and Regional Development Ministry function was being held on 10 Jan.

TNG: If you become MP, how do you propose to eradicate poverty and improve living conditions for the poor in Kuala Terengganu?

Wan Farid: I have discovered while on the campaign trail that people want more opportunities. They do not know that we have so many facilities and so many things they can participate in. My concern is to make sure they are well informed of these opportunities.

The Terengganu government has decided not to pursue the wang ehsan (oil royalties) civil suit (filed when PAS was the state government) against the federal government. Do you agree?

The matter is closed. The moment the federal government returned the royalty, the case has become academic.

But there are disputes over the figures. The royalties have not been fully returned.

The opposition is making [it out] as if the federal government is taking advantage of the state government. With the final payment of RM408 million in December, everything has been settled. There are no arrears anymore.

What kind of personal advantages do you have over the other candidates, which aren't related to you representing the BN?

I was in Parliament, in the Dewan Negara for three years. And for the last nine months I was a member of the administration. I've appeared in both Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.

Your stand on hudud law.

I don't think it's an issue.

The opposition is using your post as former deputy home minister against you. What is your stand on the ISA?

In government, we cannot have individual [positions] on policies. Whoever speaks against me individually must also understand that you can't have a different view as a member of the administration.

You want to speak about this, you must understand parliamentary democracy, must understand how the cabinet works, must understand collective responsibility. Okay, if they want to attack me on this, it means they don't understand parliamentary democracy.

Should the ISA be at least reviewed?

My stand is parallel with the government's. It is good as it is. Preventive law has mechanisms and safeguards, which people don't talk about. They only talk about the so-called repressive law.

You can see, recently, whoever was arrested under the ISA could go to court and apply for habeas corpus, and there were instances where the court allowed the application. We have the necessary safeguards.

Is being the former deputy home affairs minister a liability to your campaign because of the issues the opposition is raising?

No, it's not a liability at all. Because I appear on TV almost every alternate day when Parliament is in session and the people of Terengganu know me.

Are you a reluctant candidate because you stand to lose so much in your political career?

I'm not a reluctant candidate. In politics, it's not about you. It's about the people you represent.

If you lose, what are your plans?

I'm not going to talk about that. It's premature.

By Deborah Loh, The Nut Graph
*****************************************

When asked about his stand on Hudud, Wan Farid Wan Salleh, Barisan Nasional’s candidate for the Kuala Terengganu by-election, replied, “I don't think it's an issue.” He did not say whether he supports Hudud or opposes it. He just refused to commit himself to the issue.

As I had written over the last few days, while UMNO and MCA have challenged PKR and DAP to state their stands on the Islamic State and Hudud, Umno itself will not commit itself to the issue. PAS can’t change Malaysia from a Secular State to an Islamic State. It can’t abrogate our common laws and replace them with Islamic laws. It can’t do that now or even in the future. As has been pointed out many times, the arithmetic just does not allow PAS to do that. It’s as simple as that. It’s all about the arithmetic. And PAS has said so many times that anything it does will be according to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia and not in violation of it.

Umno, however, can. This is because, through the Barisan Nasional coalition, they have the majority in Parliament, although no longer a two-thirds majority since the 8 March 2008 general election. So we need to ask Umno, not PAS, the question. Would we ask a person who has never bought a lottery in his life what he would do with his millions if he won first prize? He may reply he would marry a second wife, go to Mekah to perform the Haj, build a school, set up an orphanage, etc. But his reply would be purely academic since he has never bought, and will never buy, a lottery in his entire life. In fact, he considers lotteries as haram and that is why he does not want to gamble. So why ask him what he would do with his winnings if that is something that is never going to happen?

But Umno is in power. They are the federal government. They are the ones, not PAS, who has the power to abrogate our laws, amend the laws, change the laws, and turn Malaysia from a Secular State into an Islamic State. So Umno must be asked this question. And when asked, Wan Farid very deviously replies, “I don't think it's an issue.”

But it is an issue. And it is an issue because UMNO and MCA have challenged PKR and DAP to state their stands on the issue. And PKR and DAP have, time and again, said they are opposed to the issue. And, to demonstrate this, two days ago they got PAS to agree to an agreement that any and all policy matters must be based on consensus. All three partners within Pakatan Rakyat must unanimously agree to any policy matters. A simple majority is not enough. It must be either all or nothing.

The ball is now at Umno’s feet. Umno claims to be the largest Islamic party in the world. This is what Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad declared when he was the Prime Minister of Malaysia. And it is Umno that keeps raising the issue of the Islamic State and Hudud. Khairy Jamaluddin, the Prime Minister’s son-in-law, has been going around Kuala Terengganu proudly claiming that it was he who very cleverly trapped Husam Musa into making his slip-of-the-lips in the debate they engaged in.

Pakatan Rakyat has laid the matter to rest. The issue is no longer an issue. It is now a non-issue. So what is Umno’s stand on the Islamic State and Islamic laws? That is what the voters, in particular the non-Malay voters, would like to know. Is Umno ferociously opposed to the Islamic State and Hudud? Or does it not dare state its stand, one way or the other?

Umno does not dare state its stand. Umno would rather say: "I don't think it's an issue." But, to many, they do think it is an issue. The temples being demolished are in Umno-run states. The churches being denied permission to be set up are in Umno-run states. The Malay language Bible is being denied permission the use of the word ‘Allah’ by the Umno-led federal government. Those being detained by the religious authorities for ‘immoral conduct’ are in Umno-run states and they are being detained by federal agencies.

Where is PAS’s hand in all these? All we see is the hand of Umno. PAS is said to be an extremist party. But it is the Umno-run states and the Umno-led federal government that appears to be doing all these extremist acts, in the name of Islam. PAS, on the other hand, approves churches and temples in the states it runs -- while the many years the state was under Umno control the non-Muslims failed to get permission.

There is currently an ongoing court case in Sabah. Chong Kah Kiat, the 13th Chief Minister of Sabah, the former president of the Liberal Democratic Party (a member of Barisan Nasional), is taking the Umno state government to court for not allowing a Buddhist statue to be built in the state. Chong, who was the Deputy Chief Minister, also resigned his post in protest. It is not PAS but Umno that is blocking the Ma Tzu or Goddess of The Sea statue in Kudat, Sabah.

Stop asking PAS, DAP or PKR their stands. Their stands are clear. Their stands are: no changes without consensus. And all changes must be according to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia and not in violation of it. And that goes for the internal Security Act as well. PAS, DAP or PKR are opposed to the Internal Security Act.

When asked about his stand on the Internal Security Act, this was what Wan Farid replied: “In government, we cannot have individual [positions] on policies.”

When asked whether the Internal Security Act should at least be reviewed, Wan Farid replied: “My stand is parallel with the government's. It is good as it is.”

Read his lips, very slowly. He does not have an individual opinion. His stand is parallel with the government. The ISA is good and will remain. The fact that the ISA is unconstitutional does not matter. Umno is prepared to violate the Constitution. PAS said it would not do anything that goes against the Constitution. Wan Farid says the Constitution does not matter.

The Constitution says no one can be detained without being told of his/her crime and must be produced in front of a magistrate within 24 hours. The Internal Security Act allows one to be detained without being told of his/her crime and they can be held without being brought in front of a magistrate for the rest of his/her life.

According to the Constitution, a person is innocent until proven guilty. And the onus is on the Prosecution to prove guilt. The Accused needs not prove innocence. All he or she has to do is to raise reasonable doubt and the benefit of the doubt must be given to the Accused. Under the Internal Security Act, the government needs not prove guilt and the Accused has to instead justify that his or her detention is invalid. But the detained person will not be allowed a trial. Instead, a panel will hear the arguments of the Accused in secret, behind closed doors. And, in all cases, the panel will reject the arguments of the Accused.

And that is why PAS opposes the ISA, because it violates the Constitution. PAS respects the Constitution. And PAS respects the Constitution not only with regards to the right of an accused to a fair and open trial but also with regards to converting Malaysia into an Islamic State and the implementation of Islamic laws. Umno, however, according to Wan Farid, says: “In government, we cannot have individual [positions] on policies.”

So, whom can we trust? A party that respects and will comply to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia or one that violates the Constitution every step of the way? That is the fundamental issue in the Kuala Terengganu by-election. PAS has spoken. Umno too has spoken. And both voices are loud and clear. The issue is not just about the Internal Security Act or Hudud. It is about laws that are implemented which do not violate the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. Umno does not care about the Constitution. PAS does. So who makes a better government?

You, the voters of Kuala Terengganu, can decide this on Saturday, 17 January 2009. And you need not be a rocket scientist to figure out which of the two makes a better government.

- mt.m2day.org

Raja Petra stumps for PAS (Kuala Terengganu Election)

Controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, recently released from detention, is such a famous figure, he gets curious stares everywhere he goes in Kuala Terengganu.

Some locals even ask to be photographed with the blogger, sporting his trademark beret and pipe.

Raja Petra is in town to campaign for Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) candidate Abdul Wahid Endut, ahead of the Kuala Terengganu by-election on Saturday.

Mr Wahid is up against Umno's Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh and an independent. The by-election was called after Umno MP Razali Ismail died in November last year.

'I am neutral, but I subscribe to certain aspects of the opposition such as bringing reforms to Malaysia,' said Raja Petra, 58, who does not belong to any political party.

He runs the Malaysia Today website, which publishes his hard-hitting columns that take on the most powerful politicians in Malaysia.

Three other political bloggers have joined him in campaigning for the opposition in Kuala Terengganu as well as in cyberspace.

Although Kuala Terengganu is too rural to be Internet-savvy, Raja Petra said he has met voters who are familiar with his writings. His postings are frequently distributed as leaflets in the villages.

The opposition's focus is the 8,000-plus Chinese voters said to hold the key to this election, as the Malay vote is split.

Raja Petra speaks at one or two rallies nearly every night, and also to smaller groups of voters, to whom he talks about PAS and the Islamic state.

'When the voters see that we are not Taleban and we support PAS, it gives us a chance to explain things to them,' he said.

His message blends well with the opposition campaign, which is focusing on recent controversies such as those raised by Umno Youth chief aspirant Mukhriz Mahathir's call to turn vernacular schools into national ones, and a Penang Umno leader's description of the Chinese as immigrants.

A PAS banner has gone up in the Chinese area labelling Umno as extreme. Leaflets have also gone out showing a picture of Penang Umno leaders tearing up a poster of Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon after he protested against the description of the Chinese as immigrants.

Still, it is not certain to what extent this will mean more votes for the PAS candidate. In the March general election, 65 per cent of the Chinese votes went to Barisan Nasional (BN).

But this time, the Chinese are turning up at opposition rallies by the hundreds. At the rally last Saturday, many were seen stuffing RM50 (S$21) notes into the donation boxes.

They cheered for the PAS candidate in his robes and skull cap, and were wowed by the star speaker, Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

There is some euphoria in the opposition camp, which believes there has been a swing in its favour. But it is also aware there is a week still to go.

- mt.m2day.org

Video - Ceramah Raja Petra Kamarudin PRK P036 Kuala Terengganu (08 Jan 2009)

Sumber : Media Rakyat

Video - Ceramah Raja Petra Kamarudin - PRK P036 Kuala Terengganu (06 Jan 2009)

Sumber : Media Rakyat

Video - Interview with Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK)

Source : Star Online

Video - Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) di Blog RTM1