SOS on Raja Petra Kamarudin to Fellow Malaysians,
During the last few days there has been an ominous and increasing crescendo of messages – written and verbal – indicating the imminent arrest and detention of fellow blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
We hope that the Government is not contemplating this action. To alleviate the widespread public uproar and concern – national and international – that this shortsighted action will precipitate, we call on the authorities that may be planning this action to take heed of this SOS; to immediately cease all targeting of Raja Petra through the ISA or any other repressive measure; and to come out instead with an assurance that:
(1) no such ISA order is being envisaged to be served on Raja Petra
(2) Raja Petra is free to continue his writings on the vital matters affecting the country;
(3) The draconian legislation of the ISA will not be used on Raja Petra or any other Malaysian blogger to punish them for their dissenting views and opinions.
In our view – and if the Government should care to undertake an independent survey, in the view of the great majority of Malaysians and non-Malaysians – Raja Petra in no way poses a threat to the country’s peace and security. Rather, he poses a threat to those individuals and organizations that he perceives as engaging in unconscionable and dastardly acts and activities that are bringing ruin to the nation.
Many Malaysians too are of the opinion that his website contains some of the most incisive analysis on the ills that beset our nation. Further attempts to take down his website or to shackle his freedom of expression is not only an attack on a fearless, principled and ethical patriot but they will also be construed as an attempt to restrict our freedom of information and expression, a move that will take the country further down the road of authoritarianism.
While we respect the right to freedom of speech and information, we also advise all Bloggers and other online writers to exercise the same high ethical standards expected of journalists in the traditional media. We do not condone lies and malice in the Internet and should not only stand by what we write – we must be able to defend the truth of what we write.
We emphasise that in our view the current laws pertaining to Sedition and Defamation apply equally to print and online media and should be deterrent enough to check “irresponsible” writings. Hence we urge that there be no resort to a draconian law such as the Internal Security Act to hold peace-loving Malaysian writers to ransom.”
A democratic government should not for one moment entertain – let alone pursue – the charges that have been leveled against Raja Petra. To isolate those forces in the system that are bent on using the repressive instruments of the state against various opponents for their own benefit, we call on
1). all fair-minded and honest leaders from the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat parties to speak out – privately and publicly – against any attempt to use the ISA against Raja Petra;
2). component parties of the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to publicly oppose any intended incarceration of Raja Petra under the ISA;
3). civil society, professional and other organizations and private individuals to demand that the Government guarantees Raja Petra’s freedom of expression and undertakes not to use the ISA against him now or in the future.
We hope that good sense will prevail in our country’s leadership. Any act of repression against Raja Petra especially at this particular time will not go unquestioned or unanswered. We are confident that hundreds of thousands – if not millions of Malaysians – will stand firmly to make their dissenting views known should the Government choose to silence Raja Petra through the use of the ISA.
Statement released by
Ahirudin Attan Interim President, National Alliance of Bloggers (AllBlogs)
Dr Lim Teck Ghee, Director, Centre for Policy Initiatives.
Kuala Lumpur, September 9, 2008
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
Threat of arrest and ISA detention against Bloggers who are critical of this government’s blatant abuse of power and expose their wrong doings of their corrupt leaders? Hey, are we missing something here? What is happening to this beautiful home of ours – Malaysia, Land of Glory?
Here we have a recalcitrant Ahmad Ismail, a leader from UMNO Penang’s Bukit Bendera branch spewing racial slur and poison that definitely pose major internal security threat to the nation that may lead to racial chaos yet he is left on a “free-run”, why?
It has been 3 weeks now since since Permatang Pauh by-election in August 2008 when Ahmad first uttered those racial slur against Chinese citizens of Malaysia. All we have now from the government is mere empty talk, with meetings after meetings while one idiot Azhar Ibrahim threatened to shoot the journalist who reported the slur in a chinese press, and still no action has been taken against those two umno sewer politicians, why?
These two should have been immediately arrested and be charged under sedition act no ifs, no buts! This useless government is not doing anything and practising double-standard. Should it be tolerated any further?
I call on all BN MPs to take effective action NOW and go for change. We need to do it fast to save this nation before it finally crumbles under political and economic turbulance!
Jong,
Double standards? This is nothing new. The government uses varying standards to suit its purposes. Use the law and other state assets on your “enemies”, in the name of national security; it is always the rationale. ISA, OSA. ACA, and so on. All politics and power plays.
If you are with it, you can get away practically with murder. Investigations by the Police, for example, can made to be so weak that an accused pro-government person can escape justice on a technicality. Remember the Rahim Thamby Chik (now the Chairman of UMNO’s economic think tank, GABEM) case. The underaged girl who had an encounter with Rahim’s Thamby Kechik was damned while he escaped from the clutches of the law. Mahathir saved him, and did the same for Najib (recall the Port Dickson khalwat affair).
That tradition continues with Badawi. Maybe, in the case of Dato Ahmad Ismail, it could be different (?) It will be a test for UMNO. But the question is: will UMNO wilt under public pressure? Punishing Ahmad makes a hero and has serious consequences on Badawi’s leadership of UMNO ahead of the December 2008 General Assembly and party elections. That is why the UMNO President has yet to act. He must now defer to the UMNO Supreme Council, despite his almost dictatorial powers over UMNO body polity, this being Mahathir’s legacy.
If it were Raja Petra, a critic of the government, who had made those Ahmad Ismail type racist remarks, he would have been under the slammer and taken in under ISA already. No ifs or buts about it. Mr. Bean, QC, what do you think? –Din Merican
They did not take that long did they, to arrest Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim whom minion Saiful Bukhari fantasised he was being sodomised by Anwar? And the way they swung into action to arrest an unarmed Anwar(a big threat to Malaysia’s internal security?) in masks and full combat gear was unbelieveable!
Are we expected to tolerate the lot of scumbags running this government any further?
Ahiruddin n Dr Lim, Jong n Br DIn
Cannot disagree with u ALL one bit…
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Using the draconian ISA on fellow blogger Raja Petra will only hasten the demise of the ruling govt of the day.
Double standards…? Happens when the stakes to the beholder of power is too much at stake
JUST DO WHAT I TELL U TO DO…& DON’T DO WHAT I DO….
Disgusting!
However my piece of advice…do have faith always keep in mind what history have always taught us …Man proposes but God disposes
my two cents worth
twg
RPK is leading a group of intellectuals to help Malaysians come out of a very serious disease. The spread of this disease is not detected by the less wise but only by those on the same wavelenght as RPK and who are able enough to recognise it in our midst, becoming worse by the day. RPK is brave enough to tell an ailing society to remedy itself before its too late. Why is this doctor told to shut up? Why aren’t these sick Malaysians wanting to take their medicine and cure themselves, so that they be healthy once more? If the sick Malaysians reject RPK and his advice they are definitely going to kill themselves.
Shobhan
this doctor not specialist to confirm that Malaysians have been sodomized. UMNO BN have resident specialist just for this purpose. Only they can determine if sodomy did take place.
That’s a good one Shrek. Just too tired to write today. Had a hectic day at work. Cheers