RPK the cyber anarchist?
I don't consider myself a “fanatical fan” of RPK (Raja Petra Kamarudin) nor am I a “bottom feeder” in the fetid Malaysian political aquarium. ('Cyber anarchist with belligerent agenda', Jan 2, New Straits Times) 
I have been observing Malaysian society since the 50s and the pretentious apologists in the mainstream media have never failed to amuse me by providing so much comic relief. To call them prostitutes would be a gross insult to sex workers.
Their attempts to discredit RPK will surely fail now that these formerly imperious state propaganda pieces have been reduced to “old newspapers” and have to compete with us, the people in cyberspace. What a leveler the Internet is!
First of all, is it Malaysian to discredit somebody by labeling him an “anarchist”? The obscurantists in the establishment would want Malaysians to believe that anarchists are irresponsible troublemakers who do not care about society.
Little do they know that one of the world's greatest public intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, is an anarchist by political persuasion.
The positive and constructive contributions by Chomsky (right) to freedom, democracy and human rights in the post-war world have been universally recognised.
His commitment to the Palestinian cause precedes Umno's and he is consistent in championing many other anti-imperialist causes as well unlike the selective populism of Umno.
Anarchists (or anarcho-syndicalists) were in control of many areas of Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War, a war which inspired freedom-loving people like George Orwell and many other famous writers to fight fascism during the early part of the 20th century.
Michel Foucault, the well-known philosopher and profound critic of capitalist state institutions has sometimes been categorised as a neo-anarchist too.
What do anarchists stand for? Shelley has touched on its ideals in this poem:
“The man
Of virtuous soul commands not, nor obeys:
Power, like a desolating pestilence,
Pollutes whatever it touches, and obedience,
Bane of all genius, virtue, freedom, truth,
Makes slaves of men, and, of the human frame,
A mechanised automaton.”
Anarchists place a high premium on liberty.
They recognise, however, that individuality is a social phenomenon since we need other people in order to develop, expand, and grow.
Anarchists want to create a society based on three principles: liberty, equality and solidarity.
Liberty is essential for the full flowering of human intelligence, creativity, and dignity. One could say that these are also the avowed aims of education in so-called enlightened societies.
Domination stifles innovation and personal responsibility, leading to conformity and mediocrity. While liberty is essential for the fullest development of individuality, equality is essential for genuine liberty to exist. There can be no real freedom in a class-stratified and unequal society.
As Marx has analysed in 'Capital Volume I', liberty in capitalist society is at best the "freedom" to choose one's boss.
Finally, solidarity means working voluntarily and co-operatively with others who share the same goals and interests. But without liberty and equality, society becomes an exploitative system based on the domination of the masses by the ruling class.
Anarchists are not idealists who think that people or ideas develop outside of society. Individuality and ideas grow and develop within society, in response to material and intellectual interactions and experiences, which people actively analyse and interpret. That is why anarchists are also described as libertarian socialists.
So, would you call RPK an anarchist? I always say, “If the cap fits…” I notice he wears a red star on his green beret!
An apt epithet
Looking at the laudable efforts of RPK during the last decade, “cyber anarchist” would be an apt epithet to confer upon him.
He has done more than any politician in this country to expose the illegitimate institutions of the Malaysian state, as John Dewey has described the capitalist state, “domination by business for private profit through private control of banking, land, industry, reinforced by command of the press, press agents and other means of publicity and propaganda.”
libertarian
RPK has gone beyond the sociological theses about the shared interests of the ruling elite – he has literally stripped bare the integuments of the Malaysian state; exposed the machinations of the police and shameful harassment of whistleblowers.
He has posed questions surrounding the unsolved murder of Altantuya which all patriotic and justice-loving Malaysians want answered.
The “hapless prey” in this case happens to be the most powerful person in this country!
Far from throwing “fantasist allegations”, RPK has produced statutory declarations which should prompt any just and responsible public prosecutor to take action.
Besides these documents, he has produced video interviews on YouTube with the private investigator in the Altantuya murder case who has claimed that he was coaxed and harassed by interested parties to change his statutory declaration and to leave the country. “Get real!” as they say…
The nemesis of bumiputeraism
Bumiputeraism has been used as a populist ideology by the Malay ruling class in their ascent to political power after May 13, 1969. It was intended to rally the Malay community behind this ruling class as it reaped the economic benefits from this policy while discriminating against the “Nons”.
But it was only a matter of time before the contradictions in the “bumiputera” policy imploded because their crony capitalist policies invariably create not only inter-ethnic but also intra-ethnic inequalities.
These fissures within the Malay community have appeared during the 70s (Baling and Hamid Tuah incidents), the 80s (the Umno split), the 90s (Reformasi) right into the 21st century.
Much to the chagrin of the Malay ruling class, more and more Malay intellectuals have risen up to question the legitimacy of this bumiputeraist policy and to expose the iniquities of the state.
RPK can be seen as just this nemesis of bumiputeraism and what a nemesis! He taunts them in cyberspace all the way to hell. You couldn't find a more exemplary model of the rational, non-racist Malaysian intellectual who is not afraid to castigate not only the ruling class but also the spineless and the opportunists in ALL the ethnic communities in Malaysia.
The wind is blowing
And thank Pete for Malaysia Today! At no time in our country's history has alternative journalism been more exciting and refreshing and websites such as Malaysia Today under RPK has shown that we can beat these mainstream rags at their game.
For all the pompous braying by the apologists of the state, at least Malaysia Today has the graciousness to publish their pieces. Most progressives have given up writing to the establishment newspapers because of their shameless censorship. So who's afraid of rational debate?
So here's wishing RPK (photo, left) “Good Speed” and assuring him of our support in his campaign for truth, justice and democracy.
He is the best judge of the system of justice in this country, so if he decides to keep on running, we hope he keeps on writing and take comfort in these lines from the Song of the French partisan:
“Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the land the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then you'll come from the shadows…”
I have been observing Malaysian society since the 50s and the pretentious apologists in the mainstream media have never failed to amuse me by providing so much comic relief. To call them prostitutes would be a gross insult to sex workers.Their attempts to discredit RPK will surely fail now that these formerly imperious state propaganda pieces have been reduced to “old newspapers” and have to compete with us, the people in cyberspace. What a leveler the Internet is!
First of all, is it Malaysian to discredit somebody by labeling him an “anarchist”? The obscurantists in the establishment would want Malaysians to believe that anarchists are irresponsible troublemakers who do not care about society.
Little do they know that one of the world's greatest public intellectuals, Noam Chomsky, is an anarchist by political persuasion.
The positive and constructive contributions by Chomsky (right) to freedom, democracy and human rights in the post-war world have been universally recognised.
His commitment to the Palestinian cause precedes Umno's and he is consistent in championing many other anti-imperialist causes as well unlike the selective populism of Umno.
Anarchists (or anarcho-syndicalists) were in control of many areas of Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War, a war which inspired freedom-loving people like George Orwell and many other famous writers to fight fascism during the early part of the 20th century.
Michel Foucault, the well-known philosopher and profound critic of capitalist state institutions has sometimes been categorised as a neo-anarchist too.
What do anarchists stand for? Shelley has touched on its ideals in this poem:
“The man
Of virtuous soul commands not, nor obeys:
Power, like a desolating pestilence,
Pollutes whatever it touches, and obedience,
Bane of all genius, virtue, freedom, truth,
Makes slaves of men, and, of the human frame,
A mechanised automaton.”
Anarchists place a high premium on liberty.
They recognise, however, that individuality is a social phenomenon since we need other people in order to develop, expand, and grow.
Anarchists want to create a society based on three principles: liberty, equality and solidarity.
Liberty is essential for the full flowering of human intelligence, creativity, and dignity. One could say that these are also the avowed aims of education in so-called enlightened societies.
Domination stifles innovation and personal responsibility, leading to conformity and mediocrity. While liberty is essential for the fullest development of individuality, equality is essential for genuine liberty to exist. There can be no real freedom in a class-stratified and unequal society.
As Marx has analysed in 'Capital Volume I', liberty in capitalist society is at best the "freedom" to choose one's boss.
Finally, solidarity means working voluntarily and co-operatively with others who share the same goals and interests. But without liberty and equality, society becomes an exploitative system based on the domination of the masses by the ruling class.
Anarchists are not idealists who think that people or ideas develop outside of society. Individuality and ideas grow and develop within society, in response to material and intellectual interactions and experiences, which people actively analyse and interpret. That is why anarchists are also described as libertarian socialists.
So, would you call RPK an anarchist? I always say, “If the cap fits…” I notice he wears a red star on his green beret!
An apt epithet
Looking at the laudable efforts of RPK during the last decade, “cyber anarchist” would be an apt epithet to confer upon him.
He has done more than any politician in this country to expose the illegitimate institutions of the Malaysian state, as John Dewey has described the capitalist state, “domination by business for private profit through private control of banking, land, industry, reinforced by command of the press, press agents and other means of publicity and propaganda.”
libertarian
RPK has gone beyond the sociological theses about the shared interests of the ruling elite – he has literally stripped bare the integuments of the Malaysian state; exposed the machinations of the police and shameful harassment of whistleblowers.
He has posed questions surrounding the unsolved murder of Altantuya which all patriotic and justice-loving Malaysians want answered.
The “hapless prey” in this case happens to be the most powerful person in this country!
Far from throwing “fantasist allegations”, RPK has produced statutory declarations which should prompt any just and responsible public prosecutor to take action.
Besides these documents, he has produced video interviews on YouTube with the private investigator in the Altantuya murder case who has claimed that he was coaxed and harassed by interested parties to change his statutory declaration and to leave the country. “Get real!” as they say…
The nemesis of bumiputeraism
Bumiputeraism has been used as a populist ideology by the Malay ruling class in their ascent to political power after May 13, 1969. It was intended to rally the Malay community behind this ruling class as it reaped the economic benefits from this policy while discriminating against the “Nons”.
But it was only a matter of time before the contradictions in the “bumiputera” policy imploded because their crony capitalist policies invariably create not only inter-ethnic but also intra-ethnic inequalities.These fissures within the Malay community have appeared during the 70s (Baling and Hamid Tuah incidents), the 80s (the Umno split), the 90s (Reformasi) right into the 21st century.
Much to the chagrin of the Malay ruling class, more and more Malay intellectuals have risen up to question the legitimacy of this bumiputeraist policy and to expose the iniquities of the state.
RPK can be seen as just this nemesis of bumiputeraism and what a nemesis! He taunts them in cyberspace all the way to hell. You couldn't find a more exemplary model of the rational, non-racist Malaysian intellectual who is not afraid to castigate not only the ruling class but also the spineless and the opportunists in ALL the ethnic communities in Malaysia.
The wind is blowing
And thank Pete for Malaysia Today! At no time in our country's history has alternative journalism been more exciting and refreshing and websites such as Malaysia Today under RPK has shown that we can beat these mainstream rags at their game.
For all the pompous braying by the apologists of the state, at least Malaysia Today has the graciousness to publish their pieces. Most progressives have given up writing to the establishment newspapers because of their shameless censorship. So who's afraid of rational debate?
So here's wishing RPK (photo, left) “Good Speed” and assuring him of our support in his campaign for truth, justice and democracy.He is the best judge of the system of justice in this country, so if he decides to keep on running, we hope he keeps on writing and take comfort in these lines from the Song of the French partisan:
“Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing
Through the land the wind is blowing
Freedom soon will come
Then you'll come from the shadows…”
KUA KIA SOONG, a former MP, was principal of the New Era College, Kajang. He is also a director of human rights group Suaram.
4 comments:
Dear Dr Kua
I fully agree with you.
Alice
Dr Kua ,
One of the greatest pieces ive read in form and description of a great being . An exceptional dissection of the strata of the Hell on Earth --- the Malaysian So called Leaders and their apologists.
Keep on these gems to seep in well into these forgetful society Dr!
We are blessed with Greats as you , RPK, Azly , Bakri and lots more to form this army to fight the Totalitarian cerebral innarts in Power
God bless your wisdom and care you have for the rightous.
Everyone at MT are with you !
motherchell
Dear Dr Kua,
A broad interpretation indeed. I have never imagined that I can see an anarchist in such a positive manner. You and RPK have my respect. It's people like you all that gives me hope that Malaysia can change for the better one day. Keep the fire burning and more importantly keep on writing. ;)
Precisely my sentiments - Well said, Kua!
However, the problem is with the Malaysian public who aren't much of readers - they wouldn't know the difference. They could take it to mean that an anarchist is one who advocate total anarchy.
Anyway, I always wondered why they would consider an "anarchist" as something that might be negative. Obviously they never understood what being an anarchist means.
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