Hunab Ku by Star Root, wife of Star Sparks who rejoined his ancestors 15 March 1999
Swedish microbiologist turned student of the Mayan calendar, Carl Johan Calleman, says: "We are now approaching the sixth night of the Galactic Wave Movement, the eighth of the nine levels, which will begin on November 8, 2009. If my understanding of the Mayan calendar is correct we will in this coming night be witnessing the most significant transformation of consciousness ever in the history of mankind. What is exciting about this is that I feel that a relatively clear picture of how a new world is going to be born is now finally becoming evident. On the other hand, what is also becoming increasingly clear is that this birth is likely to become very demanding..."
Today also marks the birthday of my soulsister Arwinda Hurip, the White Witch from Solo, Java, whom I have known for 30 years. This beautiful portrait of her was taken by me in Bali, July 1981. We were then both in our prime. Sigh.
I shall never forget the tremendous surge of PURE JOY that shot through the nation's neural circuitry on 7 November 2008. That was the day I awoke to find a text message on my phone with two powerful words: RPK FREED. Shah Alam high court judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Helmy Syed Ahmad had ruled that Raja Petra Kamarudin's arrest and detention under the ISA was mala fide and procedurally flawed. He added that the then home minister, Syed Hamid Albar, had abused his powers in using Section 8 of the Internal Security Act, which places enormous power in the hands of the home minister and therefore must be resorted to only in extreme situations where an indisputable threat to the nation exists. One bald man on testosteronal overdrive and his homegrown news portal spilling the beans on shenanigans in high places cannot possibly be labeled a threat to the nation - only to the political careers of those he has exposed.
The very next day, my dog Lulu gave birth to ONE puppy. I waited for more to arrive... but none did. In honor of RPK's release from Kamunting, I decided to name the solitary pup Roger Putra. Or Roger Reginald Putra aka Phatty Boy. With unlimited access to all ten of his mother's tits (well, okay, the top two nipples on a bitch are merely ornamental, if you insist on being pedantic), Roger grew up like any Ten-Tit-Tot would: chubby, pushy and utterly spoilt. Today we celebrated his first birthday with a small butter cake. Look at him, the ingrate. Can't be bothered to even look at it. Just like my little boy Ahau. Every year he can't be bothered to attend his own birthday party....
All right, good boy, Feichai-face! At least he got up to admire his 1PhattyBoy butter cake. It must have been his first taste of cake because he at first refused the big slice I offered him (his father the cake-loving Dog of Dogs, Mr Wong, was only too happy to accept it). But when he saw the other canines slurping up the icing, he decided to try some too... and was instantly hooked! Woof woof woof! Happy First Burpday, Darling Phatty Boy!
Adversarial politics, as practised in Malaysia, is every bit as polluting as the worst kinds of industries. The toxicity, in this instance, is mainly psychic, and results in clouding up the real issues.
On the second day of 2012, Raja Petra Kamarudin let off a loud and extremely smelly fart in the face of Pakatan Rakyat by declaring Anwar Ibrahim "morally unfit" to become Malaysia's 7th prime minister. The fact that RPK chose to do so via the Umno-owned media, a few days ahead of the January 9th sodomy trial judgement reveals that his intent was to inflict maximum damage on Anwar.
What has transpired between these erstwhile political allies to sour their relationship is unknown to me and, no doubt, will be the subject of much speculation. In 1998 when Anwar Ibrahim was sacked as deputy prime minister and finance minister and viciously booted out of Umno, RPK rose to his defence by inaugurating the online Free Anwar Campaign. Either RPK didn't buy the malicious gossip that Anwar is bisexual - or it didn't really matter to him then.
Well known to be a maverick and loose cannon, RPK isn't someone who can join any club without ultimately coveting the position of supremo. He has an ego that matches his mercurial intelligence - and his immense popularity in the period leading up to and after GE12 was largely due to the sheer audacity of his "No Holds Barred" column in Malaysia Today.
Soon after RPK went into self-exile to avoid another stint in Kamunting, he collaborated with Pakatan Rakyat leaders to forge a united front against Umno/BN. However, disagreements in strategy must have arisen, leading to the formation of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) supported by concerned citizens who didn't necessarily wish to be embroiled in partisan politics but were convinced that the primary goal was to remove Umno/BN from power.
AS MCLM started gaining credibility and clout, RPK began criticizing Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat over what he perceived as their weaknesses and shortcomings. He made it clear that his own mission to restore good governance and justice in Malaysia was above party politics - and, as such, it was his duty to "whack" politicians on both sides of the BN/PR divide whenever they got out of line. Fair enough, and those of us who admired RPK's guts and brilliant mind were happy to endorse MCLM's public outreach activities.
However, just before the Sarawak elections, RPK stunned the nation by agreeing to be interviewed in Australia by TV3. The gist of his revelations was that he had been misled and left in the lurch by a conspiracy to thwart Najib Razak's rise to power and replace him with Tengku Razaleigh as interim prime minister. The edited interview focused on RPK's declaration that he had no evidence of Rosmah Mansor's involvement with Altantuya's gruesome execution - and that he had accepted on good faith the testimony of one Colonel Azmi Zainal Abidin, a military intelligence officer. RPK added that the military intelligence report he had been shown no longer existed.
The timing of RPK's TV3 interview created shockwaves amongst his fans and many turned against him, convinced that he had finally succumbed to temptation and reneged on his own principles. After a few months, the antagonism subsided but avid followers of Malaysia Today had grown a little wary of RPK's volatile temperament.
With his latest move, conspiring with the utterly despised Utusan Malaysia and New Straits Times to dismiss Anwar Ibrahim's candidacy as prime minister, RPK has lost even more admirers - perhaps permanently this time.
RPK, of course, is entitled to his views on what constitutes moral fitness for the nation's highest post. He says it's possible that Anwar Ibrahim may be bisexual; that he's "90% convinced" Anwar is the main actor in the sleazy video produced by the infamous "Datuk T" trio. Nothing anyone in Umno/BN hasn't already loudly proclaimed through the mainstream media as an indictment of Anwar Ibrahim's "immoral" tendencies.
Amidst the myriad moral lapses that tend to characterize public figures, we need to draw clear distinctions as to which ones we must view seriously and which ones we can afford to overlook.
Putting your hand on somebody's lap and putting your hand in the till may be regarded as moral lapses - but each act has entirely different consequences. If I put my hand on your lap and you find it pleasurable, we'll soon be having a bit of grownup fun, at nobody's expense. However, by stealing from the public coffers, my act can be classified criminal and it will eventually impoverish the entire nation.
In a social climate supercharged with false piety and genuine hypocrisy, it may be a sign of moral weakness on my part to deny that I have enjoyed extramarital affairs or smoked a bit of weed or had a couple of beers with my chums or watched some porn.
But to allow crooks to infiltrate the judiciary and law enforcement agencies just to prop up my personal power is most certainly not an act of moral strength. And to say and do absolutely nothing as my uniformed goons beat people to death in custody and throw them out of highrise windows goes beyond moral weakness - it's abominably evil.
The endless catalog of crimes committed under the watch of every Umno prime minister since Hussein Onn needs no elucidation. Most Malaysians with access to the Internet acknowledge that many abominable evils became the norm during Mahathir's 22-year tenure - and that Najib's power rides upon the endemic corruption and moral degeneracy he inherited as the current Umno president and crime minister.
To my mind, if a new Pakatan Rakyat federal government led by Anwar Ibrahim can abolish once-and-for-all the oppressive laws that keep citizens docile, submissive and afraid of their own shadows, then I will lend their ascendancy to power my wholehearted support.
I wish to see a new attitude of dedicated service amongst elected representatives of the people - ministers who do not glorify themselves by arriving an hour late with police outriders just to officiate at public events; who totally understand that they are paid good wages to attend to problem-solving and the smooth administration of essential public utilities and social services - not to hog the limelight or rouse the rabble to racist hysteria.
If a Pakatan Rakyat government can oversee the outright abolition or massive overhaul of our dysfunctional public institutions - starting with PDRM and the judiciary; encourage the healthy growth of participatory democracy and ensure freedom of thought and expression; set a shining example to all citizens and motivate them to greater aspirations, instead of making them cynical and apathetic, then it's absolutely no concern of mine whether members of the cabinet are transsexual, bisexual, trisexual, metrosexual or pansexual. I might feel a tad anxious if one of them was exposed as asexual - simply because I find asexual people a bit creepy.
I would consider anyone morally unfit to be a leader if he or she is a congenital liar with a penchant for excessive luxury and self-aggrandizement - and is prepared to murder anyone who stands in the way of their grotesque ambition.
As far as I know, Anwar Ibrahim has never ordered any of his political rivals to be tortured by psychopathic goons, poisoned, bludgeoned to death, shot in the head, or blown to smithereens with military grade explosives.
The only reservation I have about Anwar's political ideology is that he doesn't seem to share my profound respect for Mother Nature and continues to regard logging and mining as legitimate industries. When he becomes PM, I shall have to convince him that a deep understanding of ecology is far more important than the stupid economy.
RPK, whom I continue to respect and love as a brother and friend, even though we may be diametrically opposed in specific instances - and to whom I will always be grateful for his magnificent role as a powerful galvanizer of political awareness - may have decided that Anwar Ibrahim is "morally unfit" to be appointed our 7th prime minister. He has every right to his personal opinion.*
My personal opinion is that we will never know if Anwar Ibrahim will make a great prime minister until we have given him at least 5 years to lead the nation to a more glorious and noble destiny. At this juncture, Anwar remains the most qualified candidate - and perhaps the only political icon with sufficient charisma and influence to win over enough hearts and minds and reunify this divided nation.
Meanwhile, I'm happy to report that I have been meeting a growing number of mentally and spiritually awakened young people who are more than capable of thinking for themselves and knowing when to put an end to systems that no longer work, because they have been abused for far too long by those who are truly morally unfit to lead.
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*[Editor's Note: since January 2012 when this essay was written, much has changed in the political landscape, In recent years RPK has not only come out in open support of Najib and Rosmah's rogue regime, he has also revealed that he wholeheartedly subscribes to Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) - which means that all his past pronouncements about social justice and democratic principles were a mere pretence. I find it no longer possible to describe RPK as "a brother and friend." Indeed, just hearing his name mentioned evinces utter revulsion and a deep sadness in my heart.]
First posted 3 January 2012. Reposted 8 March 2018]
These are indeed extremely troubled times. I don't recall any other era in Malaysian politics when the situation felt so hopelessly mired in a morass of moral murk - apart from the May 13 period, and just before Mahathir launched his cynical Ops Lalang on 27 October 1987, effectively turning Malaysia into a rogue police state.
More and more I find myself struck dumb, numb and speechless by the sheer audacity of those who cling desperately to power. The vicious cruelty and sheer wickedness that have insidiously crept into the national psyche and taken possession of our collective soul, holding ransom our public conscience, our sense of decency and justice.
The horror stories wafting like the stench of putrefaction from our refugee camps.
Human beings routinely and arbitrarily forced to endure hellish conditions - even painful and meaningless death - when their only crime is to be driven by economic necessity to find employment as domestic help in a foreign country seemingly inhabited by wannabe tinpot despots.
There is no way we can escape the conclusion: a land where even a market vendor displays such ruthless tyranny and inexcusable cruelty must have had a long history of raksasa rule. What are raksasa? Wikipedia defines raksasa as "supernatural humanoids who tend toward evil. Powerful warriors, they resort to the use of magic and illusion when unsuccessful with conventional weapons."
Magic and illusion, otherwise known as voodoo and media spin.
I'm at a complete loss for words, seeing what has become of our once promising nation, and utterly appalled by the fact that - going by the percentage of pro-BN comments left on blogs and news portals - some 50% of the population remain blind to the evil nature of the power structure they prop up with their ethnocentric ego insecurities. Below are some snippets gathered from news portals and forwarded emails that amply demonstrate that "peace and stability" are unsustainable and illusory in the absence of justice and freedom...
ONLY IN MALAYSIA!
Posted on ArtisProActiv, 28 Oct 2009:
Unbelievable! All within a week...
Unbelievable #1 - Tian Chua sentenced to jail because judge was convinced cop who admitted punching Tian Chua told the truth about his biting.
Unbelievable #2 - Lingam case dropped because no evidence of judicial interference notwithstanding the Royal Commission findings.
Unbelievable #3 - Anwar Ibrahim's case against Tun Dr Mahathir thrown out because filing was not in Bahasa.
Unbelievable #4 - Gobind Singh Deo's challenge against suspension denied because court has no jurisdiction although the opposite was said in the Perak fiasco.
Unbelievable #5 - Local pathologists completely overlooked body injuries that point to homicide as revealed by Thai forensic expert Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand.
Unbelievable #6 - At Najib's instigation Ong Tee Keat and failed porn star Chua Soi Lek shake hands suddenly after months of bitter fighting.
Unbelievable #7 - Loss of over RM 1.4 billion in Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking project.
Unbelievable #8 - Mara paid RM84,640 for two units of Acer notebooks plus millions for other overpriced computer equipment.
Unbelievable #9 - Government guarantees failed Prasarana bonds of over RM 7 billion.
BN must make up its mind once and for all. Does it still want to put up the pretence that Malaysia is a democracy? If it does, should it continue to bombard our senses with such disgusting scenes and bare to the world the ugly truth of what Malaysia truly is?
By Kim Quek
After the nonsensical assembly sitting in Perak on Oct 28, Barisan Nasional should deeply reflect whether it is worthwhile to prolong its farcical rule in the Silver State.
To say the least, the session was a complete wash out.
First, police control and intervention inside and outside the assembly was so heavy and so overpowering that it has completely destroyed the image of our legislature as an independent and the highest institution in our system of government.
Second, the slipshod manner with which BN’s budget motion was rushed through makes us wonder whether the budget was legally approved.
Let us start with the budget approval.
BN’s Mentri Besar Zambry Kadir started his budget speech at 1120 hrs, and thirty minutes later, he had not only completed his speech, but had moved his budget motion through three readings, each time approved by the BN assemblymen present, under vocal protests from Pakatan assemblymen. There was no debate and no one seemed to have heard any detailed figures – if figures were read out then, these were not carried in many newspapers the next day anyway. Pakatan assemblymen walked off the assembly immediately after the approval of the third reading.
A budget proposal is a statement of revenues and expenditures as well as major policies that encompass the entire government which is made up of many departments. So, it is normally a lengthy speech, followed by debates that take place during each of the first, second and third readings. It is hence a real marvel how the assembly could have compressed such elaborate process of proposal, deliberation and decision in all the three stages in the short interval of half an hour.
Through such shotgun approval, the voices of the people who speak through their representatives are muted. Isn’t this a mockery of our democratic process and betrayal of the trust of the people?
Was the budget legally approved?
On top of that is the questionable legality of Ganesan’s position as speaker. His election as speaker on May 7 was deemed a fake, as the assembly session on that day was so chaotic and violent that it was not possible to conduct any business except the delivery of the opening speech by the Regent. Compounding this now is Ganesan’s breach of the Perak Constitution Article 36 A (5) which stipulates that a speaker must relinquish his private practice immediately or in any case not later than three months after his appointment, failing which he shall be disqualified. So, even if Ganesan’s appointment on May 7 was legal (which is not at all the case), he was already disqualified on Aug 7.
With an illegal speaker presiding in the assembly, can any business be conducted legally, least of all the all important agenda of the state budget approval?
No doubt, BN may be least worried about matters of illegality, confident of its iron-grip on the entire government machinery to serve its parochial interests. After all, isn’t BN Mentri Besar Zambry, who was appointed while incumbent Mentri Besar Nizar Jamaluddin was still serving, also illegal if the courts have been upholding the constitution? Isn’t the entire state cabinet, which was selected by Zambry, also illegal?
But can BN afford the massive loss of popular support every time the police manhandle and bully elected representatives from the opposing camp or judges dishing out blatantly unconstitutional rulings?
Barbaric police intervention According to PR assemblymen, the scuffle was violent and turned into a fist fight as some in the group of 28 attempted to protect Sivakumar from being harassed. Simpang Pulai assemblyman Chan Ming Kai was dragged on the floor when two policemen grabbed on to both of his hands and tried to pull him away. (The Malaysian Insider, 29 Oct 2009; image from Malaysiani.tv)
Take the ridiculous scenario of the Perak assembly of Oct 28. The entire assembly compound was turned into a virtual war zone, with the entrance being protected by the kind of barbed wire seen only in war time. Hundreds of policemen and riot squad who had been milling inside and outside the building manned the five checkpoints stretching from the gate to the door of the assembly hall. Pakatan assemblymen complained of harassment every inch of their way to the last check point where they were subjected to the humiliation of a body search and metal scan and their personal effects of hand phones, laptops, cameras. etc., being forcibly removed before they entered the hall.
On his way to the assembly hall, Speaker Sivakumar was lured to an area not visible to reporters and the public where he was pounced upon by scores of police personnel who forcibly disrobed him. In the melee, he was punched and strangulated with an arm lock, and his colleagues roughed up for trying to protect him.
Pray, where in the world can you see such barbaric acts? Not even in the pariah state of Zimbabwe!
The picture inside the assembly hall is not any prettier. Scores of police personnel were there to man the entire assembly, with twenty of them forming a protective wall in front of the BN speaker Ganesan. And video cameras were transmitting live the activities of Pakatan assemblymen to the state police headquarters and the national headquarters at Bukit Aman, according to a Malaysiakini report.
Now, isn’t this the ultimate humiliation and insult to the highest and the most sanctimonious institution of a democracy, with the police contemptuously treating our Pakatan law makers as a bunch of criminals?
BN must make up its mind once and for all. Does it still want to put up the pretence that Malaysia is a democracy? If it does, should it continue to bombard our senses with such disgusting scenes and bare to the world the ugly truth of what Malaysia truly is?
For Wong so loved his Master That he gave his only begotten Son, Roger, That whosoever adoreth Him should never want For affection, but experience everlasting joy!
Roger Reginald Putra, only begotten Son of Mr Wong, was born today (or around this time, I didn't note the exact moment, alas, not realizing how significant this particular birth would prove). In any case, I know it was the same day - or the day after - Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) was released from Kamunting by a truly courageous and honorable High Court judge. That's why he was named Roger Putra, as a tribute to one of the few princes on earth worthy of our love and respect. 7 November 2008, I recall most vividly, was a particularly joyful day for all truth-speaking, justice-loving Malaysians.
[Sadly, re-reading this less than 8 years later, my opinion of RPK has totally changed. His egotism and craving for creature comforts must have gotten the better of his conscience, for he has now become a hardcore Najibite-in-exile and an apologist for Ketuanan Melayu, apart from being the owner of a new BMW.]
Not only was RPK freed from unlawful detention under the evil ISA - but on the same day, Anwar Ibrahim also received a favorable judgment from Sessions Court judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah, allowing his sodomy case to be heard in her court where he might have been accorded a fair trial. However, the crooked Attorney-General appealed her decision and got it overturned by the Appeals Court. The case is now in complete shambles, bringing irredeemable shame to the Malaysian judiciary.
Roger Putra when he was a few weeks old, being mollycoddled by Anoora. Uma Pillai (from Australia) gets the credit for snapping this excellent baby portrait.
Roger, several months old, with a swollen right eye after getting stung by a wasp.
Roger in a pensive moment, looking very much like his illustrious father, the late Mr Wong Beng Oi.
At a very early age Roger began his love affair with the River and became a self-cleaning canine. That's why he's usually quite fragrant. This photo was snapped by my daughter Belle on one of her rare visits.
Roger grooming himself after a playful romp with his friend Prudence on the lawn.
Thank you, Roger Putra, for being such a reliable source of joy in our lives. Few dogs are fortunate enough to be born in our heavenly hologram, where they can run free and be constantly showered with love and good food.
Those of you who regularly read my blog might have noticed that in recent months I haven't had the inclination to say much about local or even global politics. The truth is, everything appears to be in a terminal deadlock. The old political order refuses to give way to the new - and even the new often seems to be repeating the mistakes of the old.
More and more I'm convinced that we can only liberate ourselves as individuals - one at a time - by our own efforts. How? By consciously upgrading our operating systems and software. Uninstalling irrelevant, divisive and stultifying beliefs and replacing them with open-ended, inclusive, and holistic sensory and neurological perceptions. In other words, it's time to outgrow beliefs that limit and confine us - and define us by nationality, race and religious affiliation.
Imagine: if at least 10% of the population spontaneously chose to disregard race or religion as markers of true identity, the idea of fighting over turf for illusory causes would swiftly become obsolete. Race-based political parties would overnight become meaningless and ineffectual. Humans would quickly become self-governing, eliminating the need for external government - and political parties.
Roger was more than just a dog, much more than a member of the family - he was like a second son to Anoora and me. His father, the illustrious Mr Wong Beng Oi, was a greatly beloved part of our lives for more than 10 years. Mr Wong enjoyed an enormously happy life with us and died of old age in August 2010.
Roger was his genetic legacy, the only pup in the second litter born of a beautiful young bitch with Doberman pedigree who mysteriously appeared at our doorstep one morning and decided to stay. The name "Lulu" just came to me, so that's what I decided to call her.
Roger's beautiful mum, Lulu
At that time it didn't occur to me that Mr Wong's mum had also been named Lulu - Lulu Yap, to be precise, and her mother was a minute but majestic full-blooded Spitz known at various times as Curly-Wurly, Mrs Curlington-Wurlington, and Madam Wu. In short, Roger Reginald Putra was the great-grandson of Madam Wu - one of the original Magick River canine corps, left behind by her previous owners, Mavis and Clifford, when they migrated to Australia in 1990.
Roger Putra was named in honor of my friend Raja Petra (better known as RPK the Blogger King) who was miraculously freed from ISA detention on 7 November 2008. Even as we rejoiced at the good news, we discovered that Lulu had given birth to a solitary roly-poly pup who looked pretty much like Mr Wong. Initially I couldn't choose between Reggie or Roger, so Reginald was included as a middle name, adding a touch of class. Occasionally, Roger was referred to as the Ten-Tit-Tot because he had no siblings with whom to compete for his mother's milk. As a result he quickly became also known as Fatty Boy.
Roger's handsome brother Rupert,
murdered in May 2009
The background to how Roger abruptly vanished from our lives on the morning of 14 December 2010 has already been recorded in a blogpost dated 25 December 2010. Even after a whole year has elapsed, my heart feels heavy when I think about the utter meaningless of this sub-humanly brutal act of violence, directed against me via our beloved canine son.
When Roger was barely 6 months old, his mother Lulu and elder brother Rupert had both been murdered on the same night by a bunch of drunken Orang Asli. This was perhaps the canine equivalent of the Kennedy family...
In Roger Putra's case, the prime suspect happens to be a social misfit in his early 50s named Uha Anak Penengah. However, I have yet to obtain incontrovertible proof that it was Uha who slashed Roger with his parang - and not any of 3 or 4 other middle-aged Temuan males, each of whom is perfectly capable of such a reprehensible act, having allowed their minds to be taken over in service of Umno's land-grab agenda via the JHEOA (recently incorporated as JAKOA or Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli) who view me as a subversive thorn in their side, because I stand in the way of their money-making and control-freak schemes.
It was no use reporting this heinous crime to the police (to whom dogs are haram and therefore better off dead or non-existent; in any case, the police have shown so little interest in the gruesome murder of a Mongolian beauty 5 years ago, why would they bother investigating the death of a dog?) And even if I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that Uha was the murderer, what else could I do except kill him? That wouldn't bring Roger Putra back to life - and I'd end up spending the rest of my days in prison.
Roger Putra & Ayita: unmitigated beauty
Uha, like his father, suffered from warty skin and a surly, truculent disposition. He had had very little luck with the opposite sex. Five years ago Uha had tricked a girl from Pahang into marrying him, but she died mysteriously within a week. The day Roger Putra was murdered, he was accompanying a very beautiful Moroccan lady on her morning walk. The sight of such unmitigated beauty must have infuriated Uha. If he couldn't possess it, he would viciously and vicariously destroy it...
A humble offering to Roger's sweet memory
No, the only recourse was to acknowledge the abject misery and absolute pathology of Uha's existence - to empathize with his emptiness and pain, to understand that his soul was in a terribly dark place, and to envision his eventual enlightenment and liberation from the hellish horror of his own hateful life. Uha seemed to me the embodiment of hopeless frustration, self-loathing and envy; unable to imagine a happier destiny for himself, his inner rage and feelings of inadequacy were externalized as aggression, hostility and violence. Indeed, this is the root cause of fanatical bigotry and xenophobia manifesting as militant jingoism - the very stuff that spawns ultra-rightwing, fascist mobs like Pekida and Perkasa.
It began raining as soon as I set off with Anoora and Ahau on a pilgrimage to the approximate spot where Roger Putra met his untimely death a year ago. Getting drenched despite our umbrellas, I found a small rock nestled between two rubber trees and placed some flowers and a candle upon it. A few sticks of incense and a couple of soggy crackers completed our humble offering. As I completed the simple ceremony, the rain abruptly stopped and a brilliant ray of sunlight flashed from the treetops. The three of us washed ourselves by a small waterfall on our way home.
Beloved friend and canine son, Roger the irreplaceable
Losing Roger Putra has been the single most painful and tragic experience of my life - even more intense than returning home 40 years ago to discover my pet cockatoo had been stolen. At least I could hope that she would be kindly treated wherever she was.
Roger Reginald Putra was the perfect embodiment of beauty, robust health, innocence, joie de vivre, and an irrepressible sense of adventure. The sight of him was enough to bring cheer and contentment to my heart. To think that anyone could possibly kill my beloved canine companion just to get at me encapsulated all the cruelty, violence, hate, and repressed sexuality that have kept humanity in the bondage of sadomasochism and armed conflict for countless generations - delaying, if not thwarting, the possibility of heaven on earth, instead of in the hereafter.
Raja Petra Kamarudin and his amazing wife, Marina Lee, at a talk hosted by the Solicitors International Human Rights Group on 22 May 2010. Pic courtesy of Malaysiakini.
"If indeed, the government is in anyway implicated in the physical and mental distress of Raja Azman, simply for the sake of getting back at RPK, then it deserves nothing less then the curse of the whole nation upon it."
FEB 11 — Yesterday, Malaysia Today published an article stating that RPK’s lawyers met his son, Raja Azman (left) at Sungai Buloh Hospital. They confirmed that his son, who is currently in remand, had slashed his wrist and swallowed a razor blade. Raja Azman broke down and cried saying that he could no longer stand the physical and mental torture that he was subjected to in jail, and that he wanted ‘out’. And the only way out to him is to end his life.
RPK’s fugitive status arose out of him not making himself available to attend trials relating to charges for criminal defamation and sedition, and the prosecution’s appeal against his ISA release. Having languished in detention twice under wildly draconian and discretionary laws, in both cases subjected to police custody in solitary confinement in locations unknown and in cells no larger than the size of my toilet, never seeing the light of day for days on end, and never knowing where he is, would you not share his sense of impending rough justice, and be tempted to do the same thing, were you to have been in his shoes?
His real major ‘crime’ was to suggest in a Statutory Declaration published in the Internet that there were others involved in the murder of Altantuuya. But in his writings, RPK claims that it was not him that leaked this SD. In fact, his lawyers had handed over the SD to the prosecution team in person and in strict confidence with the hope of convincing them to expand their investigations. However the SD had been leaked by a blogger who disliked RPK, as a result of which RPK was charged for criminal defamation.
Had the leak not happened, RPK would have had considerably less ‘heat’ on his back. He might have found the situation sufficiently manageable and taken his chances in court on the remaining legal matters. He might have remained in KL a free man, having roti canai and teh tarik with his friends, probably bitching about the government, but with his life and that of his family intact.
Instead he has imposed self-exile upon himself and most of his family, and taken himself out of the public sphere in order to continue his cause to speak out against matters for which he continues to feel strongly. And the rhetoric from those who want him brought down has grown stronger and bolder.
RPK by Art Harun
No matter how you look at it, RPK’s actions are not that of a heinous and evil nature that befits the tag of being a vicious criminal. After all, at the end of the day, no matter whether one agrees with him, or condones the expressive language he uses, or questions his motives, countless of millions of Malaysians all share a common desire with him. And that is to see meaningful change to greater transparency, accountability, and tolerance in the country.
We all want integrity in government and the recognition that the government is there to serve the Rakyat and not the other way round. And so no matter what discretion and authority the government might avail to make him out to be a criminal, there are millions of Malaysians who will not care. Instead, they would have lit a virtual candle in a quiet part of their soul for him, as a tribute to this man who they believe has put everything on the line, for the sake of doing that which they cannot do, in order that they benefit from a better Malaysia.
For certain, the price he has paid for the choices he has taken far exceeds what most people would be willing to pay. And the frightening cloak and dagger, cat and mouse game he plays with the authorities is presumably part of that bargain. And somehow, this game between RPK and the authorities, as to which fox outwits the other, is played with some basic ‘law of the jungle’-sense of fairness. And so the dispassionate onlooker might see ultimate victory and defeat as fair game to either side.
But when a son becomes a pawn or collateral damage in this game, then the dynamics shift. The lack of gamesmanship that this suggests to any onlooker is deplorable and sickening.
If indeed, the government is in anyway implicated in the physical and mental distress of Raja Azman, simply for the sake of getting back at RPK, then it deserves nothing less then the curse of the whole nation upon it. Were this to be the case, the people will damn this government in everyway it can, and those involved, for such a cowardly and shameful act. I am reasonably sure that every moment RPK and his family is tormented by the uncertainty of his son’s fate, millions of Malaysians around the world will be similarly tormented alongside them in sympathy for the pain that only a father, a mother or a member of the family can feel under such circumstances.
I implore the world media to pick up this story and help uncover what has really happened to Raja Azman, and truly find out how is he being treated.
I beseech the government to clarify his condition and the circumstances under which he has been looked after. Prove to the people that the government is beyond reproach in this matter.
Let this not end in a tragedy for a family and a tragedy for the nation.
Suflan Shamsuddin qualified as a barrister at law from Middle Temple and has been called to the Malaysian Bar. He is currently working in a Fortune 500 company as a senior counsel and is based in London. He is also author of the book “RESET: Rethinking the Malaysian Political Paradigm.”
[NOTE: I just got back from a rare visit to Melaka where a 3-day Art & Performance Festival has just been concluded, featuring a friendly and vibrant troupe of artists, mostly Melbourne-based, brought in by dancer-choreographer Tony Yap, an illustrious prodigal son of Melaka who went to Australia in 1976 to further his studies - and ended up becoming a dance sifu to a brilliant new generation of dancers. More about this piquant but inadequately publicized event when I've caught my breath. Meanwhile, thank heaven for the engagingly lucid and outspoken RPK, who can always be counted on for some political edification - and who happens to be my favorite prescription for a badly constipated body politic.]
In 17 days it would have been 3 years since Altantuya Shaaribuu was abducted by Najib and Rosmah's bodyguards in front of Abdul Razak Baginda's residence. She was subsequently murdered in the most vicious manner imaginable and her body blown to a million pieces with military-grade C4 explosives.
Has the nation already forgotten? Can we possibly forget? Not as long as RPK lives!
RPK talks about the first ISA detention and his treatment under police detention and in solitary confinement. Continuing the series of interviews with Raja Petra Kamarudin - founder of Malaysia Today, thorn in the side of Najib's evil regime, and freedom fighter in exile.
The nation owes this heroic man a huge debt of gratitude for always speaking his mind, regardless of the political consequences. RPK has gone into self-exile to escape the slimy clutches of an evil regime hellbent on maintaining its deathgrip on the soul of a nation via "Rule By Law" instead of "Rule Of Law." He can only return when Umno/BN have been deposed. May that day come swiftly. So be it.
RPK explains how his statutory declaration with regards to the murder of Altantuya intended for the Prosecutor's eyes only was published without his permission by those who looked to undermine its contents.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 — After absconding from his sedition and criminal defamation trials, fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin appears to have begun his own defence through the first in a series of video interviews of him on the Internet.
Hosted on Youtube, RPK, as he is popularly known, renewed his attacks against the police and the Attorney-General for deciding to prosecute him over allegations he made regarding the prime minister and his wife’s involvement in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu.
He also compared his case to the vigour shown in the investigation of alleged corruption by the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.
“The government raids the offices of a Selangor exco based just on Internet reports. Somebody publishes a story accusing an exco member of taking money and they raid the office.
“The source of the information and the allegation is anonymous but it is enough for government to spring into action,” he said in the short video clip of just over six minutes.
Speaking about his own troubles with the government, he pointed out that he did not make an anonymous declaration about the Altantuya murder, but signed a statutory declaration.
He claims the information was given to him by a senior officer in the Military Intelligence.
In the video RPK repeats the allegations, which has been denied by government officials, that military personnel with links to Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, were present when Altantuya was killed.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today denied allegations that he had links with murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu as claimed by a private detective.
Reading out from a prepared statement at a packed press conference in Parliament this evening, the embattled deputy premier reiterated that he had never met or knew Altantuya.
He dismissed the statutory declaration filed by private eye P Balasubramaniam, who was hired by Najib's close associate Abdul Razak Baginda to deal with the Altantuya problem, as "concocted" claims.
Veteran DAP politician and lawyer Karpal Singh wants Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail to immediately initiate an investigation into the fresh explosive allegations over the Altantuya Shaaribuu murder.
Private investigator P Balasubramaniam made shocking claims on 3 July 2008 that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had links with murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. The next day, after meeting a police inspector at the Brickfields Police Station, Balasubramaniam held another press conference at a hotel, accompanied by a new lawyer, and retracted all parts of his original statement referring to Najib. A day later Balasubramaniam and his family disappeared and they have not been heard from since.
Azmin Ali speaks at a PKR Dinner, Melaka 15/03/2009
[Source: Malaysia Today, 24 May 2009] The following text messages were transmitted between Najib Razak's personal mobile phone (+6012 2143177) and Shafee Abdullah's mobile phone (+6012 3257052):
Wednesday 8/11/2006
Shafee to Najib (S2N)
Date: 8/11/2006 02:59:31
Dato Seri, The Razak Baginda thing is troubling me. Can I help? Salam, Shafee
Najib to Shafee (N2S)
Date: 8/11/2006 03:45:05
I will speak with u later tonight.
S2N
Date: 8/11/2006 03:45:31
Thank you S2N
Date: 8/11/2006 06:28:56
Met the investigating officer today. Position is serious for RB. The 3 are highly implicated. RB's case can be fought. There are redeeming features for him. But we need to meet Dato Seri as there are other looming issues at large. But not to worry. Salam > Shafee N2S
Date: 8/11/2006 21:06:11
I have spoken to IGP. U can represent n meet RB in court.
Thursday 9/11/2006
N2S
Date: 9/11/2006 12:45:30
If RB's remand is upto Sunday, does it mean that he has to be charged by Fri or be released? i hope it is looking better for him.
S2N
Date: 9/11/2006 13:11:23
3 things can happen. Firstly, they can ask for more time for detention. We will resist. Second, they have to release him by Friday or thirdly charge him by Friday. Police took him to his office for document search. Nothing incriminating found. Now they are recording stmt from him. Later search in house. Under control so far Dato Seri. Salam, shafee
S2N
Date: 9/11/2006 14:09:03
Dato Seri, Re RB need to meet up with you today. shafee
N2S
Date: 9/11/2006 14:17:47
630 pm at my house in PJaya this evening.
S2N
Date: 9/11/2006 14:18:21
Thank you
Friday 10/11/2006
N2S
Date: 10/11/2006 15:14:3
Any news about RB ?
S2N
Date: 10/11/2006 15:19:40
Dato Seri, Negotiating for conditional release. If not police need 2 or 3 more days extention. I suspect its an exercise in public relation as they do not want public to think a VIP was given an easier time. Being a vip under these conditions is a liability. Otherwise we are on track according to plan. Salam, Shafee
N2S
Date: 10/11/2006 15:27:01
Thanks, he is very stressful according to his wife n would be a huge help if he could get a conditional release latest by sun.
N2S
Date: 10/11/2006 21:35:52
Saw the news on tv. RB was sent for DNA. Not sure it was neccessary.
S2N
Date: 10/11/2006 21:40:19
Unnessasary. But I think its on his lung infection. He has just been sent again to HUKM. Will know more later from inside contacts.
Saturday 11/11/2006
S2N
Date: 11/11/2006 03:17:56
Dato Seri, I was at ghkl ccu 4th floor.RB was admitted due to lung infection:mild pneumonia and asthmatic. This was the pain he was suffering in the chest and unexplained coughing for months. He is under an able physician Dato Dr Jeyaindran Sinnadurai(head of Dept of Medicine)Its good he is resting there than in the lockup. Dna was done to eliminate that he was at scene of crime (paternity can be ruled out as well).Need to see Dato Seri on some concerns. Salam. Shafee
N2S
Date: 11/11/2006 08:54:17
ANy chance of a release by sun ?
S2N
Date: 11/11/2006 08:58:14
Police should release him by then except that I think the police is disturbeb by Media and public pressure. Other factors need be coomunicated to Dato Seri in person. Investigation wise we are on track for release.
S2N
Date: 11/11/2006 09:26:52
It is clear that the Police will ask for extention t'row. I will resist strongly in view of the fact that the last few days investigation on RB have completed investigations that require RB's presence in custody. Secondly, from yesterday the Police has done nothing much with him except to do the dna. Thirdly, I am concerned with the Police carelessness yesterday in allowing the 3 other suspects to be freely mixing and therefore tainting their subsequent stmnts as they could be 'group coached'. But it also show Police no longer need to isolate the suspects. Even RB was handcuffed to the C/I. Salam. Shafee
N2S
Date: 11/11/2006 11:46:48
I Can see u today at my Taman duta hse at 6 pm.
S2N
Date: 11/11/2006 11:59:08
OK Dato Seri. Insyaallah I will be there.
Sunday 12/11/2006
S2N
Date: 12/11/2006 13:53:41
2 days extention to Tuesday. They must release him by then maybe conditionally. Police asked for full 14days.He has message.
S2N
Date: 12/11/2006 14:06:23
Will give Dato Seri in a while
S2N
Date: 12/11/2006 15:10:17
0320949418
Monday 13/11/2006
S2N
Date: 13/11/2006 15:53:36
Am in his office now. Another search. AG will be unwilling to charge and lose a case yet again. It is a good idea to suggest to AG to hood on and let investigtion proceed with Razak Released on Bond.
N2S
Tel: 60122143177
Date: 13/11/2006 16:23:29
How was the search ? S2N
Date: 13/11/2006 16:25:56
We provided them everything, including old pda and note books and a couple of bills. Nothing incriminating.
Wednesday 15/11/2006
S2N
Date: 15/11/2006 13:21:32
Things going as expected.2 male officer charged for murder in common intention. Razak's name not in. Lady officer released but rearrested under Emergency Ordinance to be used as Crown witness (exactly as predicted). I am expecting RB to be released on Bond. 4 of my lawyers are watching brief the proceedings in the murder case. Rb matter prob t'row. Pl call. Shafee Ps coming back now from Taipei.
N2S
Date: 15/11/2006 23:31:09
So hopefully he will be released tmrw?
S2N
Date: 15/11/2006 23:34:38
Dato Seri, I am driving up from S'pore, no more flight to KL tonight. Hope for th best. Any indication? Shafee
N2S
Date: 15/11/2006 23:36:52
Not heard anything untoward yet.
Thursday 16/11/2006
S2N
Date: 16/11/2006 10:52:43
Anything Dato Seri? I am already in Court.
N2S
Date: 16/11/2006 10:53:50
Pls do not say anything to the press today. i will explain later. RB will have to face a tentative charge but all is not lost.
S2N
Date: 16/11/2006 10:54:30
OK, TQ
Friday 17/11/2006
S2N
Date: 17/11/2006 10:50:30
Dato Seri, Its important you speak to Yusoff Zainal Abidin as he knows the law a lot better in the Chambers. I am confident he is concerned with the negligible evidence agst Razak. The Raja Mahani and Tengku Ariston cases ought to be the guiding critera for AG. They cannot afford another scandallous loss by the Prosecution as in Norita, Ariston, Dato Balwant etc.
N2S
Date: 17/11/2006 11:39:46
OK will try. Meanwhile try to console the wife. She is hysterical.
S2N
Date: 17/11/2006 11:41:29
I know Dato Seri.I will do everything I can.Salam, Shafee
S2N
Date: 17/11/2006 12:57:49
Dato Seri, Razak has not been sent to Hospital. He is clearly not well. He is refusing to take Prison's medicine for fear of sabourtage. The chief Physician of GHKL Dato Dr Jaya Sinnadurai is shocked that they have not brought Razak back to GHKL. I have spoken to Haji Darussalam, Sg Buloh's Prison Director. Can You sound this to Dato Radzi Shek Ahmad? Need to see you of s'thing that I think had happened that led to her death. Utterly shocking if I am right. Shafee
S2N
Date: 17/11/2006 15:45:34
Dato Seri, I am at Sg Buloh Prison. I have organised Razak to be in HUKL, He is on his way there now. The Pengarah Hj Darussallam and deputy Supt Gunasegaran very helpful. Shafee
N2S
Date: 17/11/2006 21:27:02
My regards to him. He Is always in my thought.
S2N
Date: 17/11/2006 21:34:44
Will tell him
Sunday 19/11/2006
S2N
Date: 19/11/2006 16:25:08
Dato Seri, I need Dsp Musa, your ADc to call me to clarify a point. He is not answering Shafee
Monday 20/11/2006
S2N
Date: 20/11/2006 13:02:33
Any developement Dato Seri? Shafee
N2S
Date: 20/11/2006 14:30:20
Not yet.
S2N
Date: 20/11/2006 14:30:38
Thank you
S2N
Date: 20/11/2006 21:05:17
Dato Seri.Razak is being transfered to Sg. Buloh t'row. Can Dr. Jaya do anything?
N2S
Date: 20/11/2006 23:04:50
When is he being transffered?
S2N
Date: 20/11/2006 23:05:48
T'row N2S
Date: 20/11/2006 23:07:01
What time? S2N
Date: 20/11/2006 23:08:01
Probably late morning
Thursday 23/11/2006
N2S
Tel: 60122143177
Date: 23/11/2006 13:46:51
Your message read "Najib released on personal bond!".
S2N
Date: 23/11/2006 13:50:00
Razak released on Bail of 1 million. On personal bond undertaking. Shafee?I am terribly sorry for that mistake. Whole night tak tidur preparing. My profuse apologies Sir. salam. shafee
N2S
Date: 23/11/2006 14:00:25
ALhamdullillah , at least he is on bail. Big relief for him n family.
S2N
Date: 23/11/2006 14:02:02
Dato, I need to brief you urgently b4 you speak to him. Shafee
N2S
Date: 23/11/2006 14:12:32
OK but not intending to speak to him as yet.
Saturday 2/12/2006
S2N
Date: 2/12/2006 18:59:15
Dato Seri, Got some info that are troubling. Quite serious. Are you in Taman Duta? Can we meet? Salam, Shafee
FOUR THINGS, AT LEAST, CAN BE ESTABLISHED FROM A READING OF THIS INTRIGUING TRANSCRIPT:
1. Najib is extremely concerned about his good friend Abdul Razak Baginda and highly motivated to get him off the hook.
2. Shafee's spelling is atrocious and he makes a very interesting Freudian slip when he messages "Najib released on personal bond" instead of Razak.
3. The Attorney-General and Inspector-General of Police are both involved up to their receding hairlines in this gigantic cover-up.
4. In Umno's mind keeping the lid forever closed on the gruesome Altantuya affair is crucial to the survival of their Ketuanan Melayu race-based politics. Once the truth emerges, Umno is doomed.
BONUS MUSIC VIDEO SPECIALLY DEDICATED TO NAJIB, SHAFEE & ALL THE UMNO WARLORDS INVOLVED IN BRINGING MALAYSIA INTO UTTER DISREPUTE
Today also marks the birthday of my soulsister Arwinda Hurip, the White Witch from Solo, Java, whom I have known for 30 years. This beautiful portrait of her was taken by me in Bali, July 1981. We were then both in our prime. Sigh.
All right, good boy, Feichai-face! At least he got up to admire his 1PhattyBoy butter cake. It must have been his first taste of cake because he at first refused the big slice I offered him (his father the cake-loving Dog of Dogs, Mr Wong, was only too happy to accept it). But when he saw the other canines slurping up the icing, he decided to try some too... and was instantly hooked! Woof woof woof! Happy First Burpday, Darling Phatty Boy!
