January 21, 2012
RPK 360 (?): Anwar may become irrelevant
by Ahmad Fairuz Othman
SINGAPORE
nsunt@nst.com.my
ASSESSMENT: Raja Petra faulted Anwar both for his ineptitude in improving the economy of the PKR-led Selangor state and for turning his latest sodomy trial, bogged down by prolonged delays, into a political circus.
SINGAPORE: Raja Petra Kamarudin has said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is fighting his latest sodomy charge, will be politically irrelevant and fade into oblivion if the opposition failed to take over Putrajaya in the coming general election.
With the opposition coalition “in a mess” due to infighting, and Anwar’s inability to hold a firm grip on PKR’s “crown jewel” of Selangor, the chances of Pakatan Rakyat winning power will be at stake, said Raja Petra, once a staunch supporter of Anwar.
“Like an Elvis Presley song, It’s Now or Never. But the question is can it be now?” the UK-born Selangor prince, now living in exile in Manchester, told the New Sunday Times in a rare interview.
Raja Petra, 61, has been a long-time supporter of the opposition and was instrumental in the first campaign to free Anwar from jail 11 years ago. Both have since fallen out.
Raja Petra had disappeared after two arrest warrants were issued against him for failing to attend court hearings in April and May, 2009. He had claimed to be in a self-imposed exile.In the wide-ranging interview, he also gave a frank assessment of the government’s transformation programme spearheaded by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the current state of the Pakatan coalition and the emerging role of the so-called “third force” in the Malaysian electoral system.
In the two-hour interview at a hotel suite in Singapore, he launched a scathing attack on Anwar, whom he spent years fighting for his freedom from his jail sentence following his earlier corruption and sodomy convictions.
He faulted Anwar both for turning his latest sodomy trial, bogged down by prolonged delays, into a political circus and for his inability to improve the economy of the PKR-led Selangor state, raising question marks over his leadership. (Anwar is the economic adviser to the Selangor government).
The sodomy trial has taken a very long time and the verdict is not due until January 9. “There were like 50-60 postponements during the trial,” Raja Petra noted. He said the most important thing was not whether Anwar would be found guilty or otherwise.
“To me the issue of Anwar is not whether he is or not guilty with sodomy. The issue is whether he is the best person to run the country. Can he run the country? Now you might be the most God-fearing man on earth, you can be absolutely clean. But if you cannot run the country, you cannot run the country,” Raja Petra said.
Likewise, Anwar has also not seen much success in Selangor: “What’s your advice? In the last three years since you been economic adviser, you’ve gone overseas 60 times in mere three years. Shouldn’t you be staying home running the state? Running the party? Running the coalition?…The coalition is in a mess. People are fighting with each other,” Raja Petra said.
“He seems to be running away.” Raja Petra warned opposition supporters against turning the fight for justice into a struggle for Anwar.
“Even when Mandela went to jail for 27 years, there was no campaign to free Mandela. Even though there were groups, the Free Mandela Group. It was a campaign to end apartheid,” he said. “I am sure Mandela is a much bigger figure than Anwar by far, in terms of historical importance.”
Raja Petra said Anwar’s leadership of Pakatan was out of political expedience. “Pakatan will back Anwar as long as they still harbour hopes of forming the next federal government. But if come the next election, and if Pakatan fails to form the next federal government, Pakatan has no use for Anwar anymore, especially Pas and DAP.”
Raja Petra also said both sides of the political divide would have to work hard to win the sizeable “floating voters” in the coming election.
“There’s this group which is actually floating and this is a big group. This is 30 to 40 per cent. They are prepared to swing either way. At the moment, a lot of them will still give Pakatan the benefit of the doubt. But also a lot of them are beginning to lose confidence with Pakatan.
“At worst, if they are not prepared to give Barisan the confidence, yet not prepared to give Pakatan the benefit of the doubt, they will abstain from voting.
He said the Egypt-style people’s revolution was not an answer for Malaysia due to the delicate racial balance.“They (Chinese voters) don’t want Tahrir Square type of change. But if then you merely embark on evolutionary changes, small changes. I think it’s time Najib grabs the bull by the horns and call a spade a spade.”
He said UMNO, the backbone of Barisan Nasional, too needs an internal transformation. “Najib must be prepared not only to take a knife but take a chainsaw and cut whatever needs to be cut.”
Excerpts of exclusive interview with Raja Petra
news@nstp.com.my
The following are excerpts of an exclusive interview with Raja Petra Kamarudin
held recently. The editor of the Malaysia Today news portal, who is in exile in the United Kingdom, sat down with the New Sunday Times at a hotel suite in Singapore for over two hours to discuss Malaysian politics. Looking fresh after his holiday in Phuket, the Selangor prince spoke among others about his former ally Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition front and the Najib administration.
On Anwar and his Sodomy Trial
Question: They talk about Rule of Law, but when the court does not rule in their favour, they will say there is no independent judiciary. We know there’s one verdict coming out on January 9. What is your comment?
Answer: Well I think we have a bigger fish to fry. This agenda for change… the perjuangan cannot be about per sonalities. Now, we should not reduce this perjuangan into a struggle for Anwar. Even Mandela went to jail for 27 years, there was not a campaign to free Mandela. Even though there were groups, the Free Mandela Group. It was a campaign to end apartheid. But not to free Mandela, as much as Mandela was a catalyst. And I am sure Mandela is a much bigger figure than Anwar by far, in terms of historical importance.
And what I worry is that we will be reducing the struggle into a struggle for Anwarista. And don’t forget Anwarista is a word that I invented back in 1999 . Anwarista is a movement for Anwar. We do not want an Anwarista. Now if Anwar goes to jail, and if he goes to jail as a political prisoner, that’s another issue.
In Myanmar, it’s about a political prisoner. It’s about freeing a political prisoner. But Anwar is being put on trial not on political grounds but on criminal grounds. Now the issue of Anwar whether he is or is not guilty of sodomy, whether Anwar was fixed up and is a victim of a sham trial and so on, that’s another issue. But the point still remains whether he got a trial that he wanted.
Question:Sometimes people forget about the victim, which is Saiful.Answer: Actually we are tired of this issue of sodomy. We want the whole thing over and done with. In fact we’re hoping the trial is completed instead of being dragged on.
Question: But he was the one who dragged it.
Answer: Yes, but the whole country gets dragged along. We don’t need this. The whole country’s future cannot depend on one man.
On Anwar and the Selangor administration
Let’s talk about the jewel in the crown, of course Selangor. Now you look at Selangor. Are there many drastic changes in Selangor? The feedback I get from business people and this is the yardstick we use, corruption is the same, there is no reduction in corruption . People still have to pay under the table to get things done, and that’s the most important thing we are fighting for, good governance. So we fail on that score. We complained to Anwar. We told him people are not happy. The Selangor people are not happy and don’t assume you are going to retain Selangor. There is a good chance Selangor will go back to Barisan because people are not happy, and Anwar’s reply, and this was during a meeting, the trouble with Khalid is ego, tak mau dengar cakap. (refused to listen). Cannot control him. I said you appointed him as MB.
We are telling you Selangor is not performing. You are telling me you have a problem with him and the problem is he got an ego , he doesn’t listen. So what are you going to do about it? You created the monster. What are you going to do about it? He appointed himself as economic advisor. What’s your advice? In the last three years since you have been economic advisor, you’ve gone overseas 60 times. Sixty times overseas trips in a mere three years. Shouldn’t you be staying home running the state? Running the party? Running the coalition? The coalition is in a mess. People are fighting with each other. What’s his comment? No comment. Total silence. We told him: stay home, run the state, run the party, coalition.
So you have to go to Sabah and Sarawak, which has 57, including Labuan. Last election, Pakatan only won two. And 55 was with Barisan Nasional. Here in west Malaysia, last election you won 80, and then won another two by-elections in Kuala Terengganu and Bukit Gantang. You add in by- elections you got 82. But you won 80 in west Malaysia. So from 80 to 85 by taking away the five MCA seats, OK lah. It’s a reasonable forecast. But you only won two in east Malaysia. 55 (seats) was won by Barisan.
How many you expect to increase? You need 30 from east Malaysia. So 30 plus here (west Malaysia) 85, you only got 115, which means you only get a three seat majority. But if three people jump, you lose the government. So ideally, you need a 10 or 15 seat majority. Which means you need to try to get 35 seats from east Malaysia. Thirty-five plus this one, then you get 120. That’s a comfortable margin. But how are you going to get 35 seats from east Malaysia? You only got two in the last election.
To jump from 80 to 85 is reasonable. But to jump from two to 35, that’s a bit too far to jump. To get 35 seats from east Malaysia, you must have a strong coalition. What happened in the Sarawak state election recently? DAP did very well, but that’s it. Because DAP only took the Chinese seats, but outside that…habis. They couldn’t do it in a state election, what makes you think they can do it in the general election?
If you could have done it, you would have done it already. The fact that you weren’t able to do it, means you can’t do it. Sabah is in a mess. So I don’t see how from two seats, you are going to increase to 35 in east Malaysia. Maybe, you can increase it to 10. But 10 plus this, it’s still 95.
Raja Petra and Friends
And when people like (Datuk) Zaid Ibrahim comes along as an alternative, that there can be other people, they kill him off. They won’t accept. Anwar goes around the country talking and he’s good when it comes to ceramah. But is that a measure of his support? Many elections which I had gone around personally, by-elections even where the crowd is there, but how is it when it comes to the votes?
I have spoken to some people who were with him when he was in the government. They have pointed out what he did. And I asked him and they say, ‘You know, Anwar has his shortcomings.’ Anwar has his skeletons in the closet. Yet you support Pakatan. Their answer is, ‘What choice do we have.’ It all boils down to that. What choice do we have?
People support Anwar purely because they see him as the only alternative to what we have now.
Lessons from Egypt
Question:You and your people (in MCLM) are striving for all these changes in your own way. Don’t you think the current Barisan Nasional government is doing that in certain ways through evolution rather than revolution?
Answer: Yeah, We always say as we always hear about evolutionary change as opposed to revolutionary change . In some countries, evolutionary change has to be put aside in favour of revolutionary change.
Let’s be practical. In Malaysia, a revolutionary change cannot work because of the very delicate racial balance. We can talk about it in Egypt because in Egypt everybody’s Egyptian. Every man on the street is Egyptian. In Malaysia, not every man on the street is a Malay. So this is more delicate. So I suppose for a country where it is not multiracial, or not delicately multiracially balanced, it is easier to achieve that kind of a militant way of changing.
They (Chinese voters) don’t want Tahrir Square type of change. But even then you merely embark on evolutionary changes…small changes. I think it’s time Najib grabs the bull by the horns, and call a spade a spade.
On Cracks within the Opposition
What they are doing? In Penang, they are fighting: DAP versus DAP. In Perak, they are fighting : DAP versus DAP. In Selangor, they are fighting: PKR versus PKR. Pas versus Pas. In Johor, they are fighting: PKR versus DAP. In Sarawak, they are fighting. No, we are not fighting Barisan, no. We are fighting each other, You think the voters are going to love you for that?
In fact, the voters are now beginning to say: This time we go back to Barisan, forget about Pakatan. That is my very honest….I am not supporting Barisan, I am not saying Barisan is the best government, but Pakatan has not shown it can be a better government. That’s all, and I am not saying it. The voters are saying it. I am telling you what the voters are saying.
Din Merican: the Malaysian DJ Blogger 
RPK is an armchair critique who is very much out of touch. Everyone I know in Selangor are happy with the PR state government. If there are any obstacles, we all understand that this is caused by the Federal BN govt.. Either RPK is ignorant of the local scenario or he has been compromised. Either way, the result will be the same after GE13. If BN does not cheat, they will lose in GE 13
RPK, You have not answered where you get you dough from to lead an opulent lifestyle. Has Mama kutyy stopped feeding you with inside information that were revealed witrh great fanfare. What has happened to your champion for a change. Your words has to come with credible evidence.
Anwar may become irrelevant? So says mr. Irrelevance. How can he talk about Anwar running away from things when he, himself, is a fugitive? Pot calling the kettle black.
michatan2000,
RPK360–a turnaround (?), but those in the Opposition should study his comments for what they are worth. It is from an individual who ran the Free Anwar campaign in he 1990s. He and his team of bloggers and civil society activists worked hard during the 2008 Election campaign for Pakatan Rakyat after PKR, DAP and PAS endorsed their Peoples Declaration.
Let me quote what the renown economist, John Maynard Keynes said. In response to an accusation of inconsistency, Keynes is reported to have said “When the facts change, I change my mind — what do you do, sir?”.
Let us see what happens at GE-13. I for one will suspend my judgment on his predictions. He could be right or wrong. The outcome will be decided at the polling booth.–Din Merican
“In fact, the voters are now beginning to say: This time we go back to Barisan, forget about Pakatan. That is my very honest….I am not supporting Barisan, I am not saying Barisan is the best government, but Pakatan has not shown it can be a better government. That’s all, and I am not saying it. The voters are saying it. I am telling you what the voters are saying.”
Which voters? Those who will always vote for BN? I’m not saying this and I’m going home to vote. For somebody claiming that he is intelligent than anybody else (he loves calling people “bodoh”), I’m surprised he can compare 5 years of administration to 50 years of administration. Did he pass math in school? I guess it’s fair to compare his intelligence to a 5-year old’s then.
I second Didi’s and michatan2000’s comments — I believe it is RPK — hyding as a Dr Hyde:) in luxurious exile in UK — who has become IRRELEVANT since about two years ago.
I once believed RPK cared enough promoting and fighting for a Better Malaysia, hence his FAC leadership to get then sacked DPM Anwar Ibrahim a fair trail on corruption and SODOMY I charges.
But over the past decade, is there anything that is substantively different in Sodomy II from Sodomy II. NIL, and RPK has turned 180degrees –Sdr DinM, not 360 if that’s what you are implying!, and is now an ardent supporter of UMNO system. We all know since the sacking of Tun Salleh Abas as Lord President, the Malaysian judiciary has been largely COMPROMISED.
But there are still a FEW GOOD MEN IN POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE LIKE THE AUDITOR-GENERAL who released the 2010 annual report condemning the NFC as “in a mess”. And RPK still wants to sell the poisonous medicine that Najib is capable seising the bull by the horns and of doing drastic surgery of UMNO politic.
It’s like squeezing water from a rock, and as a once wellinformed blogger, RPK really has SOUL’D OUT the Reformasi cause he headed while Anwar was incarcerated! You still want to give the system whose IGP was capable of giving a detainee (no less than a former DPM!) the black eye? God help us from those who have eyes but wear a blind after receiving some incentives.
Sdr Din, ap AP New Year and to your esteemed READERS, let’s VOTE ABU at GE13~~ YL, Desi
My 2 cents worth about RPK: Running dog, who loves to hear his own growls. Not a good business partner nor intellectually gifted. His strength is that he speaks with simple language that the masses can relate to and would do well to sell snake oil. Never grew beyond adolescent angst. Venture capitalist? Perhaps. Seer and prophet? Ain’t got the smarts.
What has changed? Certainly not the politics of corruption, cronyism and nepotism by UMNO.
guys whatever, take RPk advices and improve from here.if PR doesnt, then his views will become reality.
I rather take the positives from his message, though his comments on extensive corruption in PR-runned stares are exaggerated.
I honestly feel sorry for this man, if he can be called a man. A man that has run away from the law, no matter how unfair it is, is not a freedom fighter, RPK is just a hired writer.
He has no means of income, he is personally broke, that much he has admitted himself, yet he lives a luxurious life, travels here and there, etc. and so to sell his soul is his only choice.
He is a man on a vengeance roll, mainly against Anwar and Azmin, the same Anwar he once defended. However, Anwar would not play ball with him, as Mahathir, Sanusi, Najib, etc. do, so this is his revenge.
He thinks he knows it all, and those that disagree with him, will face his wrath, even if it’s unjustified.
When the whole world believes that Anwar has not been given a fair trail,RPK, the self declared know it all, believes otherwise, which is coincidentally BN’s view.
RPK himself has censured both Augustine Paul and the present judge on Sodomy 2, and now, in an interview with the BN’s media, he says otherwise.
He is BN’s and Najib’s last resort, and mind you, many believe he has been cornered by Najib, and Najib has his balls in his hands.
Tell me RPK, what is it that you have achieved in life?
Have you taken a corporation and created value for it?
Have you created jobs for the jobless?
Have you helped the under priveleged?
Have you done anything that has resulted in making us more educated, besides gossip that is?
Have you educated a group of intellectuals, persons, etc. in achieving something far greater than they thought that they were capable of, and they in turn have gone out into the world, and attained outstanding achievements, as a result of your input into them? Not politically, but economically even.
Have you made outstanding advances into something that will eventually make life easier for us?
Have you attended an outstanding college or university and is recognised for it, and made your children to walk in your similar footsteps?
You have no money, even to support your children through university, and depend on the generosity of the british govt, and your paymasters, to feed your family and educate your kids, what a shame that has befallen you. And yet you give lectures and sermons about religion, God and the like.
You are good talker, and you twist your positions, faster than Badawi, Najib and KJ combined.
You make no sense, and the interviewers’ know it, and everyone can see that the whole interview was well scripted.
Do tell what is it that you have done, that you think makes you as superior as you think you are, even remotely.
Put your CV against Anwar, or even Azmin, or even some lesser known PKR politicians, and you will be embarrassed, that is if you are capable of feeling some degree of shame.
Your true self has just emerged, and those that continue to underestimate you, and continue to think that you will fight for truth and justice, do so at their own peril.
You are just a self serving ignorant old fool, and a shameless one at that too.
Sheesh, the shame that has befallen this person is, I believe, caused by divine intervention, because he is quick to judge and condemn everyone, but himself, and his hypocrisy is caused by the devil.
He is better than all the imams/pastors/priests, etc. put together, better than all the economists put together, better than all the lawyers put together, better than all the statisticians put together, he is an expert in everything, well, he thinks he is better than God Himself.
Remember RPK, who God wants to destroy, He makes them crazy first, you are nearly there.
You can play every role that you want, but do not play God, God will not put up with that.
You are living the lie that the devil has taught you.
Soul out or sold out ? Fat wallet and bloated ego. Get lost RPK go RIP !!!
The Plot thickens
RPK???..traitor to PK,Trojan Horse,Turn coat, Double Agent,Triple Agent,
dUMNO lapdog….the web is still being spun and the Fat Lady has not sing yet….too early to call.
Anyway …. Fabulous 2012 to All Malaysians but still
Hidup Malaysia!
ABU!!!
Message to Harris (MCLM) : I hope you will denounce your association with this turncoat and a traitor, if you wish to save your own credibility. Otherwise you too will be dragged and branded as a traitor, at a time when the rakyat struggle for change of government is at its height.
Statistically, some one should publish the profile of the traitors (gender, race, useless title holders etc) and place the names of all these shameless creatures in a hall so that members of public can spit at them.
Whether we agree with RPK or not he is still entitled to his opinion. If the facts have changed and he is changing his mind we should also accept that.
As all of us know politics is a game of perception, the question is whose perception? If a few businessmen said nothing has changed in Selangor does these few businessmen represent the majority of the electorate?
Talking of personalities who should be PM in Malaysia, I think we have to be realistic. Neither DSN and DSAI are the best people to sit on that coveted chair. More important is the team. We can have an average team but we must have high quality leaders. Soon the team will improve. And another crucial issue is the system and structure. Get these right there’ll be few surprise along the way.
RPK has said about infighting, morality and economic growth among others. This is common within the two divides, just a matter of degree. And in defence of PKR they have just ruled Selangor for a couple of years compared to their predecessor who has been there for ages. And Selangor by its geographic location would naturally attract investments. Try developing Perlis! BN or specifically UMNO has been entrenched there but what have we got in Perlis? (no offence meant to those from there).
Is BN/UMNO free from infighting? We all know the answer to that.
Morality is an interesting matter. If morals in all its dimension is applied to Malaysia leaders since independence what have we got? Very few leaders would not be a surprising answer would it?
Let’s get real. Do the best with whatever we have as we slowly progress into issues based politics. This might be a reality in 3 generations time. Meanwhile let’s prepare a solid groundwork as a meaningful legacy to our grandchildren.
It we had led a meaningless life as some have claimed for RPK at least this opportunity provide for our own personal salvation.
A timely wake up call from RPK.
Well said Don!
I would call RPK a schizophrenic, an eccentric or a megalomaniac. He is displaying all the symptoms of manic or paranoid disorder.
Remember he once accused Rosmah of murder and then fled the country. I am sure he is even holding dual citizenship.
I reckoned Anwar has shunned him and he wants get back at him. He has no principles.
Now why would we trust this man!
At critical times it is best to hold ones counsel, and better not say things to your advsersary. If it has got to be said say it quielty within those who are working hard to bring about change. One does not become a hero by airing own shortoming in enemy territory. Only unprincipled characters would act thoughtlessly , particulalry in politics.
NST will ruthlessly make hay out of these.
Aside: did NST pay for the interview or was it given freely.
anakrakyat, of course NST paid RPK handsomely for this interview, why else would RPK say what Najib wants him to say?
You think RPK would do it for free!!!
He has lived off people ever since he went to England, TV3 paid him well the last time, Tun Mahathir pays him handsomely, so does Zaid Ibrahim, well, money runs out you know, and with RPK’s lifestyle, he needs more, and he knows where to get it from, loads of it.
From what he got from this interview he can buy more expensive cigars, wine and champagne too, or perhaps that came along as payment too.
Don, It is quite clear, Najib is worried about rakyat’s spontaneous reaction reaction on the 9th January, and RPK is aiding Najib to smother that reaction by dismissing Anwar as “irrelevant”. Why now and with NST. Harris, Sidhu, Bala , please note.
He did that at Sarawak’s Election, and now at the eleventh hour, he’s doing it to us.
What’s the f**k man, RPK !
RPK rebuttal: Which category are you in?
Push your button and you react accordingly … in 2012..RPK is making us think and analyze before making comments and he has nothing to prove as had WALK THE TALK and now he is daring fellow Malaysians to also WALK THE TALK…then ABU is a certainty.
Hidup Malaysia!
I dare him to come home first. Shouldn’t be a problem for him now.