Raja Petra Kamarudin has answered the questions in the email i sent him on the APA Yahoo Groups website. You can read the full posting here. A second reply and further comments made by RPK can also be found here.
A choice excerpt and my comments:
bq. I wanted them to all sit up and take note of the seriousness of the issue. I wanted everyone, both sides of the fence those opposed as well as those propagating the matter), to laugh, not at my piece, but at themselves (or at each other). This did not happen. They laughed at my piece but not at themselves.
The intent of the original posting was purposeful. He wanted to achieve that shock effect, and he wanted people to sit up and take notice of the issues at hand. Based on the uproar his already-infamous Msg 7002 has generated, i'll say that he's succeeded.
But i question his methods - the issue of race and the rights of the Malays in particular is very sensitive in our society. Does this mean no one should talk about it? No it doesn't. But i reckon it should be done with more tact and poise. The President of America probably has opinions about the african-americans/native-americans/hispanics/whites of America, some positive, some, perhaps, not-so-positive - but does he blast any of them publicly, even if in a satirical manner? No he doesn't, and you'll find that any self-respecting politician wouldn't either.
The reason why they don't is because public comments tend to have a very annoying habit: they stay public and can be used against you (or your friends) the next time the polling station opens. Up to now, while i'm personally willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, is there any conclusive evidence that the original posting was not sent by mistake to a public forum? Could he have meant what he said? Doubts will remain: did he mean it or did he not? If he did, do others in PKR share his beliefs or not? If he did, is the abolishment of the concept of Ketuanan Melayu just lip service to garner votes from the non-Malays?
While denouncing his earlier posting as a "spoof" (satire), RPK has not removed the element of doubt he has created, doubt that can be used to hurt his associates who are politicians. Doubt against the PKR's 17 point manifesto will always exist - but RPK didn't need to add to it, did he?
On this, RPK had the following to say:
bq. I am not about to mellow just because I am now a member of a political organisation. If I do, then I would be just like those Umno members. ISA detention could not soften me, just like it did not soften Hishamuddin Rais who is anti-party and, at his first public appearance after his release from ISA detention, he slammed all the opposition parties. - Msg 7027
Is RPK a politician? Not in the sense of competiting for the rakyat's votes, he isn't. But his voice has been strong and loud on behalf of quite a number of people, the new President of Parti KeAdilan Rakyat included. When you're associated in a representatitive manner with politicians, and people have begun to trust your commentary and work on behalf of a political party, then i believe a certain exercise of care is necessary.
Read the following comments for further analysis on RPK's latest reply, here and here.
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