Political Involvement
Raja Petra was a leading member of Parti Keadilan Nasional (now Parti Keadilan Rakyat)—the party set up in response to the arrest of former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1998. On 11 April 2001, Raja Petra and ten other opposition activists were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for allegedly plotting to overthrow then prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad. He was released 52 days later.
Raja Petra started the Malaysia Today website and his blog to facilitate open discussion on Malaysia's political and social scenes. In his online writings, he is often humorous and sometimes critical of the current political developments in Malaysia. He advocates for transparency, accountability and justice in the Malaysian political system. He often denounces what he sees as deeply rooted money politics, corruption, and ethnic polarisation in Malaysia.
On 2 July 2008, Malaysia Today was defaced by a person known only as "Gasakdotnet", replacing the website with a superimposition of Mahathir Mohammad's face into the poster of the film We Were Soldiers accompanied by the tagline "My Countrymen, My Fellow Malaysians", alluding to Mahathir's "battle" for Malaysia as the Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. Poor internet connectivity affecting several areas in Malaysia hampered efforts to restore the website promptly.
Read more about this topic: Raja Petra Kamarudin
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