Blogger Raja Petra apologises to Sikhs
KUALA LUMPUR: Blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has apologised to the Sikh community for making racist remark on top police officer Commissioner Datuk Seri Amar Singh Ishar Singh’s turban.
However, Raja Petra said that his remark was not meant as an insult to Sikhism, nor was it his intention.
“I can argue that I did not consider my quip an insult to the Sikh faith or that this was not my intention. But it is not what I intended that matters but how what I said was received,” he wrote in a post on his Malaysia Today blog yesterday.
“And I also apologise to Amar Singh Ishar Singh because, as much as I may disagree with him, that disagreement should not be reduced to the level of insulting his religion.
He also insisted that his apology did not come because police reports have been lodged against him, or because he allegedly received threats due to his remark.
“I was told a Sikh’s turban is a very sacred item and they do not take too kindly to anyone making fun of it. For that I would like to sincerely apologise,” he said.
Raja Petra also said he had personally apologised to Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind and Amarjit Singh Sidhu, since the two had represented him as lawyers together with Manjeet Singh Dhillon and the late Karpal Singh.
“‘Kenang budi’ is supposed to be a Malay trait and virtue. To insult the faith of those who did so much for you and asked for nothing in return is not ‘kenang budi’. It is the opposite of ‘kenang budi’,” he said.
Gobind on Sunday had slammed Raja Petra’s remark, calling it “uncalled for”.
He also reiterated the need for laws to regulate hate speech, that would have extraterritorial reach to prosecute offenders from overseas, since the blogger is believed to be residing in the United Kingdom.
Last Friday, Amar criticised Raja Petra for alleging RM43.3 million had been stolen by the police following the raids on former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s premises in May, calling it “baseless and simply ludicrous”.