"After Raja Petra, who's next?", asked Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today in an immediate reaction following the police report lodged by Umno against political website Malaysia Today.

Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin is the webmaster of the website.

Lim said that he was not alone in pondering this question, adding that it will be in the minds of many Malaysians.

"Is the axe finally coming down in Malaysian cyberspace after the four-day arrest of Nathaniel Tan with the high-level Umno police report against Raja Petra?" asked Lim in a statement.

"Are the instruments of repression of the past regime, which had never been dismantled, being re-activated against criticism, dissent and expose of abuses of power and corrupt practices in run-up to the coming general election?"

Lim said that the law should not be abused to arrest, intimidate and silence anyone, including Raja Petra for his many exposes against top police and political leaders.

He urged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to stand firm against opening the floodgates to allow criminal laws to be abused for personal, political or partisan purposes.

The police report against Raja Petra followed the detention of blogger and PKR webmaster Nathaniel Tan on July 13 for an investigation under the Official Secrets Act.

Tan was remanded for four days and released on July 17.