Stop double standard, Patriot group tells MCMC

PETALING JAYA: Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan (Patriot) has called upon the Communications and Multimedia Ministry to block Raja Petra Kamarudin’s blog, Malaysia Today, and not practice double standards when it comes to media restrictions.

“How come Malaysia Today, which often writes articles that are accusatory, seditious, full of lies and hatred, has not been blocked?

“While Malaysia Chronicle, Syedoutsidethebox, Sarawak Report and several other blogs and alternative media have been blocked, why not Malaysia Today?” Patriot president Brigadier-General (Rtd) Mohd Arshad Raji said at a press conference today.

Meanwhile, Arshad said that Raja Petra, who remains in self-exile in the United Kingdom, should also be brought back to Malaysia to face his pending cases.

Arshad was referring to an online article carrying a corruption allegation against Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali.

On Oct 20, the AG had filed two police reports over articles published on Raja Petra’s Malaysia Today blog, in which it was alleged that Apandi had demanded RM4 million from a Chinese businessman, identified as a “business partner” of the Sultan of Johor, on a case he had won.

Another claim made by Raja Petra in the article was that a meeting had taken place in 2015 between then chief justice Arifin Zakaria, current chief justice Raus Shariff, current Court of Appeal president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Raja Petra alleged that the meeting was about an alleged plot by then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail with some others to bring down the government through investigations into 1MDB and its former subsidiary, SRC International.

On Oct 31, Apandi said he was still waiting for an apology from Raja Petra, adding that he would proceed to sue if there was no apology from the blogger.

“If there is no apology forthcoming from him, I will definitely sue him till kingdom come.

“How can he smear my name? I don’t even know him. It is my reputation,” Apandi said at a press conference, adding that it did not matter if he sued him here or in the UK.

According to Inspector-General of Police Mohd Fuzi Harun, three police officers from Bukit Aman went to the United Kingdom last week to meet with Raja Petra to record his statement.

The statement, taken on Nov 1 was said to have lasted five hours, and was over police reports filed by Apandi against the blogger.