PETALING JAYA: Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim has called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to form a royal commission of inquiry to probe the death of Teoh Beng Hock.
Commenting on the decision by the Coroner’s Court yesterday, the People’s Welfare Party (Kita) president said that the open verdict had upset the public.
He also pointed out that there had been too many cases of custodial deaths in the country over the years, and the government had the responsibility to adress this issue.
“I wish to appeal to the PM to order the setting up of a royal commission of inquiry. Many people are unhappy with the open verdict. While the coroner ruled out both suicide and homicide, he however failed to ascertain the cause of Teoh’s death,” he told FMT.
“Too many have died in custody. The government has the responsibility to go to the root of the problem, not just for Teoh’s family but to determine how the authorities conduct themselves,” he added.
Zaid stressed that it was important to convince the people that the authorities would not go astray in the execution of their duties.
“This issue is larger than Teoh Beng Hock, and so the PM must do something to ensure this saga ends,” he added.
Acknowledging the widespread scepticism regarding such royal commissions, Zaid pointed out that the prospect of no further action should not deter the pursuance of the truth.
“That is the second part of the problem. The people are cynical about such commissions but we have to go on with it. A royal commission will have more powers than a coroner, so at least there will be a definitive ruling,” he said.
“The commission will have more resources to conduct an exhaustive probe. Complaining about the coroner’s verdict will not solve the problem. It is necessary to determine what happened to Teoh,” he added.
PM holds high-level meet
Meanwhile, Nanyang Siang Pau reported that Najib convened a high-level meeting, which included Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, yesterday to discuss the possibility of setting up a royal commission of inquiry.
The report stated that Najib was expected to make an announcement on the matter within the next two days.
Nanyang also quoted Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Koh Tsu Khon, who was also present at the meeting, as saying that the Cabinet had explored several scenarios prior to yesterday’s verdict.
He said the Cabinet wanted to ensure that Teoh’s family and the public were given a satisfactory explanation.
“Two week ago, I held an in-depth discussion with the PM about the possible outcomes of the inquest and the steps which the government must take,” he added.
Six days after Teoh’s death on July 16, 2009, the Cabinet decided to establish a royal commission of inquiry once the inquest concluded.
That commission’s scope would, however, be limited to reviewing the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation procedures.
Teoh, a former DAP political aide, had fallen to his death after a marathon interrogation session with the MACC in Shah Alam.
His family had rejected the possibility of suicide, suspecting that the 30-year-old former journalist could have been the victim of foul play.
Najib, who had subsequently visited the family, had ordered the inquest.
Following the open verdict yesterday, Teoh’s family lashed out at the prime minister, with the deceased’s sister Lee Lan asking if the PM really cared for the people.
No comments:
Post a Comment