RPK or Raja Petra Kamarudin is not a household name in his country of residence (UK) but yet he filled a lecture theatre in London of more than 500 people.

Who is RPK?

RPK writes an influential blog which has been active since the last century – Malaysia Today. This blog calls the politicians in Malaysia to account for their actions. As a result, he has been detained twice and now, resides overseas for the sake of peace. However, he is credible with his facts, particularly with the killing of the Mongolian translator with restricted military explosives (very suspicious indeed) or else he would have been convicted through the judicial system. He is no radical. All he wants is politicians to be accountable for their actions. He is really passionate about all citizens exercising their voting rights to elect the true leaders of the country.

Heather Brooke the journalist, much in the mould of RPK, asked questions about the expenses of the MPs (Members of Parliament) in the UK. Even in a more open system in the UK, it has been documented how the authorities tried to block the answering of her questions. This blocking and its subsequent revelation, led to the downfall of the ex-speaker Michael Martin and the discrediting of a number of MPs.

There are 2 points:
We all appreciate that power corrupts. Also, the longer you have the power, the greater the temptation. In Malaysia, the ruling parties have been in power for 51 years and it could be imaged, what the status quo is. Hence, the revelations in the work RPK in his blog – Malaysia Today

But more importantly, it is the power of a single person being able to take on the might of the government with all its facilities and money. We are all so fortunate to be living in this age where, through the internet, we can communicate so powerfully. However, this power can only be used when there is authority, credibility and used with responsibility. Without these ingredients, the power and credibility is lost. Also, the message can get through to the rest of the world matter the number of obstacles (in this case – establishment) is placed in its path.

Dr Michael Oon