Why is RPK acting so out of character?

Why is RPK acting so out of character?

YL Chong

Prominent blogger now in exile in the United Kingdom Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) caught this writer by surprise with an overly critical reaction to Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah's failure to obtain at least two nominations to contest the party's deputy presidency. My commentary here is not to go into the "technicalities" involved in the nominations process, but to focus on RPK's uncharacteristic reactions for someone sympathetic to the only viable alternative coalition led by PKR to replace the BN government.

RPK titled his latest "No Holds Barred" column yesterday (Oct 13, 2010) "Umno is beginning to look better than PKR" and his scornful look at the current PKR party elections in progress seems totally out of character with the writer that I know.(Digressing a bit but I feel perinent in my claim that I know this writer at close range, Raja Petra was the key speaker for the first two annual outings called Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM) which I was proud to serve as organising chair.)

And knowing that Nurul herself has never stated she would want to contest the second highest post in PKR, why would an Opposition fighter, swing so ballistically into putting long nemesis UMNO in such good light, as compared with 12-year-old Parti Keadilan Rakyat?

And the real rat is ...

Reacting to a FMT report stating that Nurul did not qualify to contest the deputy president's post after getting only "one nomination" at the close of nominations on Sunday, RPK wrote, and I quote at length:

"And when did they decide that Sunday is the closing date for nominations? Was this decided the following day, on Monday, after two more nominations for Nurul Izzah came in? In other words did they decide on the Sunday closing date on Monday when they realised that Nurul had received an additional two nominations and that this would therefore qualify her to contest the party deputy presidency?

"I smell a rat here, a dead rat. And the smell stinks to high heaven. It appears like PKR is even dirtier than Umno. Now, even Umno is looking better than PKR," he added.

But sad to say, the smell may be emanating from RPK himself. If he did his checks before making such serious allegations, a quick look at any of numerous articles on the PKR direct elections by Malaysiakini would invariably have shown this chart, which I first noticed in an article dated Sept 5.

October 10 was very clearly defined as the date for which nominations for Supreme Council would be closed. If there are any doubts about the authenticity of chart, do check with Steven of Mkini.

Now, I believe RPK is not a member of PKR although he built his reputation as an Anwarista leader, following Anwar's sacking by then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO deputy president in late 1999. RPK spent much time and resources heading the "Free Anwar Campaign" during Anwar's incarceration in prison for six years plus.

So the question that arises is: WHY IS RPK ACTING SO OUT OF CHARACTER?

My theory -- I emphasise here it's solely my take as a newshound! -- is that RPK has fallen victim to the politics of beholdenism, involving some key players, namely Zaid Ibrahim and Jeffrey Kitinggan, and associated with them moving "behind the scene" is business tycoon John Soh Chee Wen. And my recall is that such similar "acts of beholdenism" also could have featured in some past dalliance in teaming up with Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in their UMNO factional politics, but I digress.

The Malaysia Chronicle has run several articles about the trio -- Zaid, Jeffrey, and John Soh, all recent entrants into PKR and were former leaders of BN component parties, UMNO, PBS and MCA, respectively. The relevant point here is Zaid's out-of-the-blue appeal to Nurul to enter the race for deputy president -- which Nurul did not respond to positively --and that he would then think of stepping aside should Nurul accept the challenge; Zaid even said in that eventuality he would consider contesting the president's post against incumbent Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Of mob-ney politics and would-be kingmakers

My conclusion is that RPK is caught in the web of ambition and moves wrought by Zaid and Kitinggan in trying to gain control of the Opposition party they had joined not long ago. I won't detail these events especially over the past few months as they have been well reported by Malaysia Chronicle. RPK must have become indebted to the financiers who took control of his web portal Malaysia Today, and I know for a fact one such financier is John Soh, and the financial consideration would have been substantial to enable RPK to exit Malaysia and continue his "exile" in London.

It must be noted that very soon after RPK's departure for London that a news portal, Free Malaysia Today, was launched towards end-2009. (I speak from a four-month attachment there as editorial consultant that it was supposed to be a vehicle to promote Change and the Opposition cause, especially PKR. But a few months into being, FMT was clearly used as a platform to promote Zaid's and Jeffrey's ambitious climb -- rather impatient I must add! -- up the PKR ranks, concurrently with "loaded" innuendoes amounting to "attacks", my reading, of fellow PKR comrades including Anwar, Wan Azizah, which earned the ire of outgoing deputy Dr Syed Husin Ali as expressed in an interview with Merdeka Review.

I wrote in another piece questioning if the active Blogger promoters behind "Bloggers for Nurul" are PKR members, and thinking aloud if they had taken on a role of king-maker on behalf of the ambitious players in PKR in their fight for top posts. It is a shame if RPK -- for sterling record as a fighter for a better Malaysia, mostly aligned with the Opposition parties in their struggle for change -- soiled his reputation for objectivity by aligning himself to a few individuals know for past association with parties renowned for "mob=ney politics". Being a non-member, I think RPK is unusually and overly-concerned in the PKR party elections.

Giving RPK some benefit of the doubt, a kinder reading of RPK's recent predicament now that he's located away from homeland is he has become a victim of disinformation and misinformation, and "money politics". Or is RPK an unwitting victim caught in the cross-fire between one faction strong on conviction and proven commitment over time to PKR cause, and a new kid on the block strong on money power and not much of commitment to PKR to show?

Related Stories:
Zaid seen going for PKR No. 1 and then resignation...
Bloggers for Nurul - but who art thou?
Nurul won't join PKR No. 2 race but Khalid will, Tian undecided...
Zaid to ignore Utusan ban, reflecting his souring ties in PKR ...
PKR Part 2: Wormtongue
PKR members agog with cartels, Evelyn Salt, email addresses...
Who is Evelyn Salt in PKR?
Desperate Politicians, Desperate Housewives (and a bit of Zaid)...
Zaid and his less-than Dream Team
My two cents on the PKR Deputy President race
Kelana Jaya PKR polls: Abdul Razak's membership questioned...
Syed Shahir, Nik Nazmi beat Soh-Zaid faction for Kelana Jaya...
PKR polls: Azmin leads No. 2 race with 102 nominations, Zaid 38...
PKR polls: Anwar slams use of Umno media
PKR polls: Azmin leads No. 2 race with 92 nominations, Zaid 35...
In accusing Azmin, Zaid reveals his own cartel
PKR takes Zaid to task for his petulant, divisive campaigning ...
Non-party members disrupted PKR polls to put party in bad light...
PKR polls on even if S'wak election: Azmin ahead, tough for Zaid ...
Anwar: No Umno culture in PKR but maybe some Trojan horses...
Pakatan leaders slam Zaid for "unjustified" BN support comments...
Zaid losing steam as PKR No. 2 contest enters last lap...
Battle for PKR No. 2 : Power equation likely to change...
Zaid burning his bridges with PKR
PKR No. 2 chase: Waiting for the neutrals to sway
PKR No.2: Azmin 33 nominations, Zaid 19, Mustaffa 6, Tian 2 ...
PKR polls: Azmin pulls ahead of Zaid
Khairy questions PKR's party polls, Nik Nazmi wallops back...
PKR direct polls kick off with Kedah, Kelantan divisional AGMs...
Zaid on party polls and party enemies
Anwar declines PKR nominations despite calls from Husin, Khalid...
Syed Husin will not defend PKR No 2 post...
PKR contestants told not to jump the gun
PKR deputy presidency: One hot battle on the cards...
Tanding jawatan Presiden PKR: Anwar belum ada jawapan...
S'gor MB Khalid does not rule out contesting for PKR No. 2...
Anwar's party lays ground for a new era
Selangor divisions propose Anwar, Azizah for top two posts ...
Dirty linen is not transparency: Time for Azmin, Zaid to cool it...
Azmin, Zaid among frontrunners for PKR deputy presidency...
First blood to Azmin but Zaid seen catching up in PKR No.2 race ...
VIDEO PKR MPs, senators back Azmin for deputy presidency...
The chase to be Timbalan and why Syed Husin should defend his No.2 post...
PKR splits state from party, initially asked Zaid to head S'gor
Azmin Replaces Khalid As S'gor PKR Chief, Zaid Is ...
PKR retreat: Leaders slam media blitz, say will not be distracted...
Kemelut PKR Selangor: Perebutan kuasa sesuatu yang...
Separating state from party: The next generation o...
Tiada ahli parlimen PKR cuba guling Khalid
PKR faces many enemies and its Selangor chief faces a Brutus...
PKR retreat: Enough, the time has come to take strong action.