RPK's Writing "Without Fear ...

Or Favour.

Two parts to Raja Petra Kamarudin's pledge. "Without fear" is a rare property, the scribe himself either has it in him, like a hawk, or he doesn't, like a chicken. The "favour" part is more subtle, and it's subject to third party interpretation, like Desiderata did when writing earlier in ongoing analysis of Epic Play On The PWTC Stage, comes from external forces, and can place the writer in a dilemma.

Being a writer is either very easy, so-so, or so very hard, and it's chiefly the writer's choice.

EASY MEAT!
It's easy when you join the mainstream newspaper, play balls, and write PR-sih stuff, marking time 9-t0-5, of working 2.00pm-5.00pm prooducing one story a day, and goyang kaki having Tehtarik the rest of the day. Of course these journos will tell you: IT's long hours, averaging 10-12 hours a day, you know. Just a lot of crap! Take it from me, it's a walk in the park. But this group comprises the mediocre ones, which form the majority in most Malaysia's Walks of Life, yes?
Can't stand this class -- like the political masters, they are good students of Leadership by Example. Thrive at Bodek-ing.

SO-SO

I like this word, So-So because symbolitcally, it is nigh to 50-50%, i.e. Half good, half bad. The outcome is like TOSSING A COIN! It's either head, or tail. Unless you have a TWO-HEADED COIN, like some politikus. Ne'er mind, I shan't digress too far. But go SEE if you can grab 15 MINUTES, starring Robert De Niro and Keith Burn. Be forewarned -- Lots of gore and blood! And who can tell Desi what's the meaning of 15mins?
So this middling category of s ribes is what is the probability of the toss of a coin ~~ one in two attempts is good, the other bad.
Can tolerate this class -- they try hard, but becuase of constraints out of their control, they don't shine!

Hardest, but Excellent!

This last category is where people like RPK belongs to, but unfortunately, dear Raja Petra is NOT a fulltime journalist in the traditional sense of the word. But the outcome is still a hundred times than what springs out of a hundred journos from the mainstream press.
The importrant criterion that maketh such a scribe stand out is the commitment, and the passion. IT SHOWS INTHE WRITING.
To such a category of writers, Desi can only bow and say: Salute!

Just like yesterday, the Post has started with a Comment, breaking witth tradition. The following comment extracted lock, stock and barrel (warts, war, typos and spells, et al?) from malaysia-today.net shall explain it all:


~~~~~~~

"Tuesday, July 11, 2006 12:59:13 PM
desiderata said...

Dear Raja Petra:

I have started, still in progres, an analysis of the present Epic Play on the PWTC Stage; I had occasion to comment on your Blog plus references to "The Khairy's Chronicles" (by myself and other third parties...), and I did imply that while I enjoyed RPK as a racounter, he is not totally a "Disintetested Party" in view of his Free Anwar Campaign days as Director.

Reading your present article today, I believe ytou cleared the air over your "intetrested party" status, so I amend my views. I seek your permission to "reprise" this article in full maybe this Friday? (to show your mission now is to write Without Fear Or Favour...I salute your endeavour as a fellow Malaysian-writer, saudara.



Tuesday, July 11, 2006 1:08:55 PM

Raja Petra Kamarudin said...

Dear desiderata, permission granted. Okay, now I have to go out for a few hours to get my hands on more 'shit' - so talk to you guys later.

NOTE: The emphasis in RPK's article, BOLDED THUS, is Desi's.



Tuesday, July 11, 2006


Without fear or favour

Raja Petra Kamarudin

There is currently a ‘power struggle’ going on in the Kelantan chapter of Mubarak (Majlis Bekas Wakil-wakil Rakyat Malaysia), the ex-State Assemblymen and ex-Members of Parliament Council. Half the members want to invite previous Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to a dialogue at the end of this month, while the other half wants to un-invite him.

This is certainly puzzling considering those who are opposed to Mahathir’s presence are Muslims. Islam allows free speech, though there are those who are currently trying to propose that all debates and discussions on Islam be outlawed unless you are armed with a ‘licence’. This so-called licence would of course be issued to only those who are schooled in Islam and subscribe to Umno’s or Barisan Nasional’s political ideology. Being Muslim and schooled in Islam is not enough. You must also be pro-government in stand.

It looks like Islam is the exclusive domain of a handful of Muslims and all others have no claim on Islam and may not talk about it. It makes me wonder whether I should any longer subscribe to this ‘government’ brand of Islam or whether I should leave this ‘moulded’ Islam and revert to Prophet Muhammad’s true teachings as laid down in the Quran. If I remember right, at the Prophet’s last sermon in Mount Arafat, he said that Islam is now complete and perfect. How come then the government is trying to perfect it further? Are they ‘modifying’ the Prophet’s version of Islam and trying to make it even better than the Prophet’s version?

“I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example, the Sunnah, and if you follow these you will never go astray,” said Prophet Muhammad. Yes, that is what the Prophet said in his last sermon, he leaves behind two things as the guiding light for all Muslims, the Quran plus the example he has set. And the Prophet never stifled civil liberties, the right to speak being one of them. Today, Muslims are adding more rules and regulations, such as deciding what you can and cannot say. And if you attempt to say things they do not like, then they will bar you from talking.

I got arrested a couple of times for just that, free speech. But that did not stop me. Every time they arrested me, I just became more vocal after they released me. Even detention under the Internal Security Act and the threat of a second detention did not stifle me. I just became more vocal than before. Finally, when even the opposition resented my loose cannon tendencies and tried to control what I say, I set up Malaysia Today so that I would not have to operate within the narrow boundaries of the opposition’s ‘rules and regulations’ and would be totally free to take to task all and sundry, the opposition included.

Today, Mahathir, the man who signed my detention papers, is suffering from this curtailing of his right to speak. They do not want to allow him any platform to speak his mind. Well, if the Kelantanese are not prepared to give Mahathir a platform, then Malaysia Today offers itself as this platform. If Mubarak does not want to invite him to their event -- actually they are un-inviting him because he has already been invited -- then Malaysia Today will ‘hijack’ the event and organise it for him instead. Malaysia Today will demonstrate to these so-called ultra-religious Muslims of Kelantan that we are more Islamic than them and that they are nothing but cheap fakes who are an embarrassment to their religion.

In fact, I am thinking of organising a second dialogue session for Mahathir somewhere in Kuala Lumpur, maybe some time in August -- but this time in a bigger hall so that at least 1,000 participants can attend. Maybe we can make this a ‘no holds barred’ forum where all and sundry can ‘tear Mahathir to pieces’ and ask him as many ‘embarrassing’ questions as they want. Mahathir will then be allowed to explain himself. I do not know whether Mahathir will agree to such a forum but it will be good if he does -- though there would be certain things he may not be able to comment on; such as ongoing court cases; as I was told this tantamount to subjudice and he could be cited for contempt of court.

Anyway, let us see how it goes. Let us clear this Kelantan event at the end of this month first then take it the next step.

One question I have been asked many times is: why are we doing this? Why is Malaysia Today going to great pains in organising talks and dialogues for the man they say is an enemy of the media who never tolerated a liberal press when he was in power? Two reasons I suppose. One is to make my point that Malaysia Today is committed to free speech and we practice what we preach -- and what better way to demonstrate this than by allowing our ‘enemy’ the right to speak. Secondly, we are committed to the opposition, yet we play host to the ‘other side’, while Umno, Mahathir’s own party blocks him from talking. Who is better then, Umno or the opposition? Umno pileh bulu (play favourites). We, the opposition, believe in a level playing field and equality for all, friends and foes alike.

Talk is cheap. We don’t talk, we walk the talk. And we have proven this and will continue to prove it. And I hope not only to put the ruling party to shame, but to demonstrate to the opposition as well the true meaning of freedom and civil liberties -- and take it from me the opposition too needs a hard lesson in freedom and civil liberties as sometime they seem ‘lost’ as well.

Anyway, I sent the short write-up below to Mahathir’s aides when I invited him to our first dialogue at the Kelab Century Paradise on 24 June 2006. This was meant to explain what Malaysia Today is all about and why we were organising this event. Maybe I can reproduce it here for the benefit of those who are still ‘blur’ about our ‘mission and vision’.

This is what I wrote then:

Malaysia Today believes in a free media and freedom of the media. In Bahasa Malaysia this would be media bebas dan kebebasan media. ‘Free media’ or ‘independent media’ here means a media not owned by any vested interest (without favour) while ‘freedom of the media’ means a media that is not shackled or stifled and one that can report without fear of retaliation from the powers-that-be. A free media and freedom of the media are crucial for the development of a new political culture in this country. And ‘without fear or favour’ should be the culture of the media operating under this political culture.

The current catch-phase is transparency and accountability. The newly-installed administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has promised the voters in the March 2004 General Election this, plus much more. The government has pledged an end to corruption and abuse of power/authority. But all this can never be achieved until and unless there is an independent media that is free to report without fear or favour.

An independent media can only come about when it is not beholden to any political masters or business interests. It does not serve any ‘master’ except its readers. And the only interest it has in mind is the interest of reporting the truth. Therefore Malaysia Today’s tagline: Your source of independent news - the other side of the story.

The independence of the media means freedom to report the truth without any restrictions imposed on it. And it does not fear repercussions and reprisals from those in authority. Laws such as the ISA, OSA, Sedition Act, and many more, should not be used as a threat to stifle the independence of the media.

Malaysia Today respects the right of all to speak and would offer itself as a platform for all to be heard. Malaysia Today does not restrict or censor whatever anyone wishes to say, whether what is being said we agree with or not. Malaysia Today may not agree with what you say, but we will defend your right to say it.

That is the guiding light of Malaysia Today and we make sure we practice what we preach. Malaysians must learn to agree to disagree and must not be frightened of dissenting voices and opposing views. Malaysia Today hopes that by offering itself as this platform for dissent, Malaysians will learn that there can still be unity in diversification.

It is very easy to respect the right to speak of those you support or agree with. Respecting the right to speak of those you do not support or agree with is difficult. I have been detained twice during the watch of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The first was for sedition and the second under the ISA. And my ‘crime’ was for propagating free speech. In mid-2005, under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s tenure as prime minister, I was called in to Bukit Aman for what I wrote. In late 2004, I was threatened with ISA detention by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in a statement carried by TV3.

Malaysia Today may not agree with what the government does or what Mahathir did when he was prime minister. But Malaysia Today would like to demonstrate that it practices what it preaches. As the Americans would say: put your money where your mouth is! Malaysia Today would like to demonstrate through this dialogue with Mahathir the concept of free speech and of respecting the right of anyone to speak. And Malaysia Today would like to demonstrate the concept of defending the right of all to speak even if we do not agree with what they say. And Malaysia Today would also like to demonstrate what a free media not aligned to any political or business interest can achieve.

It is hoped that the government can now understand this concept and that this would eventually change the media culture in Malaysia from being stifled to one that can operate without fear or favour. It is not only the government however that must understand this. The opposition must as well. Malaysia Today would like to be truly independent in that it is a ‘friend’ to neither the government nor the opposition.

posted 11:57 AM

~~~~~~~

PS: A BIG SALUTE TO RAJA PETRA, and WISHING HIM GODSPEED TO HIS WRITING "WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOUR".