KUALA LUMPUR – Renowned blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin passed away last night in the United Kingdom. He was 74.
His death was confirmed this morning by his brother, Raja Idris, as reported by FMT.
“It is with great sadness that I am informing you that my loving brother, Raja Petra Kamarudin, has just passed away at 11.26pm UK time on Monday Sept 9 in Manchester, UK,” he said in a brief message to FMT.
News of Raja Petra’s death was also shared on his Facebook page by Zaim Al-Amin.
“Al-Fatihah for Raja Petra Kamarudin. We had a love-hate relationship since the early days of the MCOBA Annual Dinner and Concert, dating back to 1991.
“We spent many late nights together brainstorming and refining scripts, working alongside Rehman Rashid (late), Dato’ Latt Shariman Abdullah, and Dato’ Sallehuddin Hashim.
“And let’s not forget our small performances during the Justice Party concert. Rest well, my friend. Al-Fatihah,” he wrote in the post.
Raja Petra, widely known as RPK, was born on September 25, 1950. He was the founder of the Malaysia Today website, which frequently published commentary and articles on Malaysian politics, often stirring controversy.
He had been residing in Manchester, UK, for several years.
Born into the Selangor royal family, Raja Petra was the nephew of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah.
Raja Petra received his early education at Alice Smith School, later attending the Malay College Kuala Kangsar, before completing his studies at Victoria Institution.
He married Marina Lee Abdullah on 14 April 1973. Together, they had five children and two grandchildren.
He was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in both 2001 and 2008.
Earlier this year, police had referred Raja Petra’s case to the Attorney-General’s Chambers regarding allegations of an opposition-led plot to overthrow the government, known as the Dubai Move.
Police previously stated that they had recorded statements from four individuals in connection with the Dubai Move, which was allegedly aimed at toppling Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government. – September 10, 2024