Raja Petra, Malaysia’s most prominent political commentator, dies at 74
Raja Petra, Malaysia’s most prominent political commentator, dies at 74
Raja Petra Kamarudin, one of Malaysia’s best-known critics who dramatically left the country to avoid arrest, has passed away, leaving behind a legacy of writings and commentaries that have shaped the country’s political discourse for more than two decades.
Until his death, the 74-year-old, better known as RPK, ran Malaysia Today, one of many websites blocked by the Anwar Ibrahim government due to their criticisms of his administration.
A member of the Selangor royal family, RPK was the nephew of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
In 2010, he fled Malaysia to escape arrest under the draconian Internal Security Act and decided to settle in Manchester, taking advantage of a British law that allows people like him who were born in the UK before independence to stay.
He had already been imprisoned twice under the draconian law, first during the reformasi period when he played a key role in supporting Anwar’s movement.
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Despite his initial staunch support for Anwar, RPK – like many others who supported the PKR leader – soon turned against him and became one of his biggest critics.
While his website and Facebook page were blocked by Anwar’s government, RPK had been actively uploading videos on various platforms to comment on current Malaysian issues.
His last commentary was on the recent warning by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to withdraw federal titles and awards from recipients involved in crimes and who are convicted by the courts.
In an interview with MalaysiaNow last year, Raja Petra slammed Anwar for restrictions on free speech.
He said while his website had been blocked under the governments of various prime ministers such as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib Razak and Ismail Sabri Yaakob, he had not experienced any access restrictions under Dr Mahathir Mohamad, despite his vocal criticism of the veteran leader.
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RPK said similarly, his website was also not blocked during Muhyiddin Yassin’s short rule.
“It looks like the current government has less respect for freedom, especially freedom of speech.
“And the person who is most against freedom of speech is Fahmi,” he said, referring to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
Raja Petra, Malaysia’s most prominent political commentator, dies at 74
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