(April 10): Being an opposition politician in Malaysia comes with a price. In the case of PKR’s Rafizi Ramli, his brief career as MP of Pandan has been marked by, among others, three ongoing criminal charges and four investigations under sedition laws.

The former senior manager with Petronas could find himself behind bars for up to 23 years if he is found guilty in all seven cases and dealt the maximum sentence consecutively.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insider, Rafizi admits he has not given much thought to the prospect of being in prison.

“Now that you calculate it that way, it’s not a nice thought, is it?" asked the 37-year-old.

"But that’s my weakness all the time – I think less of the risks as always, in everything that I’ve done in my life,” said Rafizi, who is the PKR secretary-general and vice-president.

“In fact, when I was with Petronas, there was an industrial psychologist who evaluated me and the only comment he had was that I usually pay a bit less (concern) for risk.”

For Rafizi, one cannot escape jail if one has to change society.

“I’m okay. I doubt they can put me in there for long. Besides, I think for any society to change, imprisonment becomes inevitable.

“If the Malaysian public expects that everything is going to be so smooth and orderly, that a democratic change in the country would not cost anything, I think the public is extremely naïve.”

On July 24, 2013, Rafizi was charged under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, which carries a fine of up to RM10,000 upon conviction, over the “Black 505” rally to protest the results of the general election.

On August 28, 2014, he was charged under the Sedition Act his statement in a report titled, Will Rafizi quit if Selangor is not toppled?

If found guilty, Rafizi faces a two-year jail term, a fine or both.

On April 27, Rafizi will appear at the Sessions Court to stand trial under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act 1989 (Bafia), which carries a maximum three years’ jail or RM3 million fine, or both, upon conviction.

Rafizi allegedly leaked confidential bank details linked to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) in 2012.

He is also being investigated for sedition in four cases: his tweets over Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction, his book Reformasi 2.0, his comments regarding Bank Rakyat’s loan to businessman Deepak Jaikishan, and, most recently, a circular on the #KitaLawan rally.

Under the Sedition Act 1948, a first-time offender can be imprisoned up to three years, and repeat offenders jailed up to five years.

But Rafizi said that even if he were out of action for several years, there would be others to take his place to fight the Barisan Nasional-led government.

“This goes beyond any one individual. We are all soldiers, we have to go in and we may come out scarred, or not at all.

“What matters is that we focus on the long-term goal of changing society. It is more than just about winning the next general election; this is a fight that could last for a very long time.”

Rafizi's first taste of life behind bars was at the Jinjang police lock-up last month over the circular on the #KitaLawan rally.

He shrugged off the three-day experience, saying that it was just a matter of accepting the situation and adjusting to it as best he could.

“I wouldn’t say I had the time of my life, but it wasn’t so bad. The only problem was the routine of going to the toilet. But you adjust to it.”

Rafizi said he told his family not to visit him so as not to give police the satisfaction of seeing them affected by his condition.

Rafizi’s wife, who only wanted to be known as Fisha, told The Malaysian Insider that his brief stint in Jinjang was a “crash course” of sorts for her, as they prepared for the possibility that he may be jailed for a longer period one day.

“Actually the prospect of him going behind bars is something we discussed for years, even before we were married. So I was well prepared for the consequences when we married,” said the bank officer.

The couple first met over two decades ago when they were still students, and reconnected again in 2009, when Rafizi was working in the Selangor economic advisor’s office, before tying the knot two years later.

Rafizi said he laid all his cards down before her when they were about to get married, so she knew what kind of world she would be marrying into.

“She has always supported me, and she herself sometimes has stronger views than I do on certain issues,” said Rafizi.

Fisha said it never occurred to her to tell her husband to tone down his political activities, even if it means being separated from him for years if he were jailed.

“I am okay with it because I know he’s not done anything wrong and that he is fighting for justice and a better Malaysia. I’m proud of him, why should I be sad?”

Fisha said they discussed at length the prospect of Rafizi going to jail, including where she would stay and how to bring up their son, even the books she could bring to him in jail and whether he should pursue PhD in prison.

The 41-year-old said it was better that Rafizi was imprisoned now, while their son was still too young to form lasting memories.

“I can deal with our son. And it’s better if he’s in jail now when the baby is still small. At least he won’t miss his father that much. If he was at school age, he would surely miss his father and ask a lot of questions.” – The Malaysian Insider