There is no evidence that the PM personally wishes to put Raja Petra Kamaruddin in jail for all the unpleasant things RPK wrote about him and his family.

It is ironical that people on one hand can say that the PM is ‘sleeping’ and neglecting his various ministerial portfolios and yet say in next breath that he is on top of things to initiate and orchestrate a crackdown on RPK and bloggers.

The fact is that clamping down on RPK does not serve Pak Lah’s political image and cause. Such a clamp down contradicts the PM’s platform for a more open culture of democratic debate and also war against corruption which RPK appears aligned to same side when he attacked all and sundry on corruption. [It will be recollected that the stated goal of Malaysia Today was to test “how far Malaysia under its new Prime Minister would respect and tolerate free speech – no matter how unreasonable or stupid the postings were : in short, how much Pak Lah meant what he said…After all, RPK never claimed whatever he posted was always true. He admitted a lot were hearsay leaked from the corridors of power.

By not cracking down on RPK, Pak Lah would score points and portray a magnanimous image since it is a fact that the PM and family have been a target too of RPK’s writings. And one can’t accuse RPK of partisanship because he has made postings adverse to the PM as well as Opposition leaders – both government/ruling clique as well as the alternative opposition – which only serves to bolster RPK’s credibility that his political leanings are entirely pro Malaysia and not pro any political side.

There are many within the administration, as outside, who have an axe to grind against RPK…. Indeed he has many enemies within the administration and without and these are the ones who press and pressure the PM (as Minister of Home Affairs) to put RPK out of action. For he scares the hell out of them. Often he exposes their foibles greed and corrupt behaviour ; and other occasions he defames and slanders them. This is because RPK’s writings are always a mix of bits of facts here and fiction if not pure speculation/fiction elsewhere. This poses a big challenge to his detractors. If they sue RPK for the fictitious parts on grounds of defamation, he will defend and raise justification in public hearing of the “facts” part that the detractors cannot afford exposed. So these detractors thought it better to pressure the PM and use him as hatchet man to kill off Malaysia Today and put RPK’s behind bars. Any political fall out and adverse effect on the administration will then fall squarely on PM’s shoulders rather than RPK’s enemies’. Maybe this is another way the political rivals would want to undermine the PM by pushing him to “whack” RPK and bear the adverse repercussions of such a crackdown.

For the situation is one where RPK knows what he is doing, but the government knows not.

This man, RPK, had been incarcerated before for his writings in Free Malaysia. He is no stranger to police or official intimidation.

After a stint in prison, far from being cowered, he rebounded to write even bolder and more reckless of consequences under Malaysia Today.

He couldn’t write what he did with reckless abandon without being prepared – and perhaps even secretly covet – to be arrested. he has several back up plans. He himself admitted so, to quote him, “I’ve learnt from my past arrests and (Internal Security Act) detention. Now I make sure that I have a well-placed team so that the website operation will continue unhindered in the event I get arrested.”

The man’s writings are a concoction of mixed truth and falsehood and popular not because they are particularly credible but because they make entertaining reading. To take action against RPK is to suddenly change and reinforce the perception that what he wrote was all true and credible hence deserving of silencing in protection of vested corrupt interests.

Such an action would elevate him a kind of Nelson Mandela/Aung San Suu Kyi of Malaysian Cyberspace, a patriot willing to pay the price of personal freedom for the Cause of Freedom of Speech in the land.

It would not stop his irreverent postings hosted in 10 or more servers overseas except with this difference – it will garner 3 million instead of 1 million hits and this time around not only from Malaysian readers but internationally, which will make those targetted by his writings to become infamous internationally as well!

Now they are NOT detaining RPK under the Internal Security Act.

They are likely to arrest and charge him under Section 121 (B) and Section 123 of the Penal Code, Section 4 of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 263 and Section 266 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

To arrest and charge does not mean RPK is automatically guilty and sent off the the slammers. There is still a due process of law of allowing him to defend himself in court. If Baginda charged for abetment of murder was entitled to bail, much more would the instance of RPK.

Now it is well known that court process is slow – first round 6 months to a year, then even if found gulity he would appeal, then another year or more. For the next two years, RPK will have a field day attacking all and sundry (because the situation cannot possibly get worse for him). It will be his finest hour!

And even if he were put behind bars in the end, this will not put an end to Blogosphere. It will only drive webmasters and blog hosters underground by use of more tiers of overseas hosting servers or proxy servers making the tracing IP address by our ISPs (TM Net & Jaring) very difficult, costly and time consuming, even were it possible.

The fact is that many within the ruling power group do not grasp the implications of the Internet. One can’t harness its power and yet seek to restrain it.

The immediate fall out of arresting RPK (which they will surely do unless they get smart fast) is to instigate an immediate protest from civil societies and NGOs, Opposition parties, attract international attention and directs focus on the immediate question – Has Malaysia reneged on the Bills of Guarantee signed for the MSC with the international community?

The continued promotion of MSC and ICT in Malaysia is absolutely necessary as part of the larger effort to equip all government departments to make the administration ostensibly a “e-government” – which in turn is necessary for those with political power and access to patronage to make money from e-contracts (of which there are no benchmarks on pricing unlike infrastructure projects that may be computed as to costs).

I return to my original contention: RPK knows what he is doing and is prepared. I am not too sure the government knows what it is doing and is prepared for such a gambit in an election year.

It may well happen that RPK will teach them a lesson they will not forget. To the question“After Raja Petra, who’s next?” Possibly no one for a long time to come!

I am not so much worried for RPK – as I have said this harassment may well be his finest hour – and he comes prepared – I am more worried that the PM knows not what he is doing if he listens to ill advised counsels to arrest RPK with all the adverse consequences to the well being of our country. UMNO may think it has put RPK out for good but it is actually playing into RPK’s hands and actions taken may well boomerang.

All things considered, I would support YB Kit’s call on the Prime Minister to stand firm against opening of the “flood gates”.