Raja Petra Kamarudin - Seditious, Slanderous or Sexy?

The dictionary defines ‘sedition’s as:

1. incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government.
2. any action, in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion.

Of course this 'sedition' word is on everyone’s lips as Malaysia’s most famous blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) of Malaysia-Today blog has been just been charged with sedition at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court over an article he posted.

In RPK's article Let’s send the Altantuya Murderers to hell he has been accused of implying DPM Najib and his wife were involved in the killing of Altantuyaa.

His alleged insinuation has not been new because Anwar Ibrahim had also alluded to that 'connection' during the Ijok by-election, as I had blogged in The Anwar style of campaigning one year ago.

Well it seems that RPK, known for his daring, defiance and dash, plus his insider stories of UMNO misconduct and miscellaneous gossip, has gone and done it, telling what Anwar had only obliquely hinted at, an ‘alleged’ story suggesting Najib’s involvement with the Mongolian murder.

RPK has really pushed the story to … well … whether the boundaries or beyond has become the issue, and to be decided by a court who will be trialling him for a charge under Section 4(1)(c) of the Sedition Act for publishing said article.

Some extracts of RPK's inimitable post of Let’s send the Altantuya Murderers to hell are as follows:

“It seems the Affidavit also reveals that Altantuya was camped outside Razak’s house and this caused him to panic. He then went running to Najib, and Rosmah summoned Najib’s ADC, Musa Safri, and instructed him to solve Razak’s problem. Musa then summoned the two police officers currently on trial. So, it appears like Razak and the two police officers are not the only ones involved. Najib, Rosmah and Musa have also been implicated in this entire thing ...?”

“Many other ‘key issues’ raised by my non-lawyer friends, who all argued as if they were conducting the Altantuya murder trial, were matters such as how Altantuya’s immigration records could be erased from the Immigration computers, the letters Najib wrote to the Malaysian embassy supporting Altantuya’s visa application, the photograph of Altantuya, Najib, Razak and Kalimullah taken during Altantuya’s birthday party in the Mandarin Hotel in Singapore, and much more.”

“Rumour has it, and it remains just that, a rumour, is that all this ‘evidence’ has been given to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Okay, maybe Abdullah is using this information to keep Najib in line -- which appears to be working seeing that he is constantly licking Abdullah’s hand. But this is not about politics and should not be dealt as such. This is about the Prime Minister of Malaysia withholding crucial evidence in a murder trial. Abdullah is an accessory to murder and burying evidence that will affect the outcome of the trial and interfere in seeing justice done renders Abdullah as guilty as those currently on trial and those who also should be on trial but are not.”

Well, … this ain’t no mere Anwar Ibrahim man man lai allusion or Tian Chua’s silly fake photo of a French photo. RPK has deal us the big one, the Godzilla, the Malaysian Mahabharata, even though he has cleverly euphemised it by qualifying his writings, as:

(1) But there are opinions and there are opinions -- and, just like assholes, no two are alike. So, while we value the expert opinions of our ‘learned’ legal eagles … we too have conducted our own trial by court of public opinion ...

(2) Of course, we are not at liberty to say this as this may tantamount to subjudice or contempt of court or something like that ... So I would never dare state that the Altantuya murder trial ‘a show trial in a kangaroo court’ for fear of getting sent to jail. All I am at liberty to say is that many consider the Altantuya murder trial a show-trial in a kangaroo court and leave it at that without declaring whether I too share the opinion of the majority of Malaysians (not sure whether that statement can still get me sent to jail).

(3) Rumour has it, and it remains just that, a rumour, is that all this ‘evidence’ has been given to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi ...

(4) The whispering amongst those who walk in the corridors of power is that when …

(5) Of course, since all these people are not lawyers, most of what they said is based purely on logic and not on points of law. It is actually quite ridiculous that people not tutored in matters of law would attempt to dissect and analyse the Altantuya murder trial and pass judgement as if they are trained and certified lawyers. Anyway, as I said, opinions are like assholes and everyone has one so we should not take too much notice of what my dinner friends said last night.

But tell me, has what he wrote been ‘seditious’? Has his article been promoting discontent or rebellion against a government?

That will be what the government (or rather AAB and Najib) intents to prove, though from what I have read over at my blogging mate, Susan Loone’s place, the public opinions are fairly obvious ;-)

Or, has his article just been ‘libellous’?

If so in the second category, then Najib should sue him instead of using the government legal apparatus to inflict disproportionate punitive action against RPK.

Now, Malaysiakini has reported that RPK has ratcheted up the political stakes by choosing jail over a mere RM5,000 bail over his charge. I am sure the international press will now converge on KL like flies to a murder scene (excuse the unintended pun).

kaytee opines that the government has shamefully, once again, resorted to heavy-handed draconian measures to silence its critics. If Najib believes he has been libeled, then he should seek relief at the civil court which exists for a libel suit to be taken against RPK.

I add my voice to those who have been and are calling for the release of Raja Petra Kamarudin.