Pakatan Rakyat Youth steps up pressure for setting-up of royal inquiry into Teoh’s death

Anthony Loke leading the group to the PM's office in Putrajaya today. - Picture by Choo Choy May

By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani - The Malaysian Insider

PUTRAJAYA, July 21 — A day after Teoh Beng Hock was buried, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) stepped up the pressure to demand the government sets up a Royal Commission of Inquiry into his death.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Youth leaders handed over a memorandum to a special officer from the prime minister’s officer this morning.

Teoh, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on July 16 outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Shah Alam. The 30-year-old was earlier interrogated as part of MACC’s investigation into the misuse of state allocations by Selangor assemblymen.

“In the memorandum, we urged the federal government to establish the royal commission because if the government fails to establish the royal commission, it will only create negative perceptions and questions on what actually happened,” Anthony Loke told reporters at the entrance of Perdana Putra.

The DAP Youth chief believes that only through a commission can the truth behind Teoh’s death be revealed.

“If Barisan Nasional members call for a royal inquiry, it shows that even ministers do not have a 100 per cent confidence in the police. There are too many outstanding cases like Kugan’s. The police needs to manage its own house before investigating other government agencies,” he said.

Loke said it was important for the ministers to approve the setting-up of the commission at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.

“We don’t see any reason why the royal inquiry cannot be established. We hope that the commission can be set up tomorrow during the Cabinet meeting. If this matter is further delayed till next week, it will show that there is no interest on the government’s part to solve this issue,” he added.

He also rebuked claims by the government that the Opposition had politicised Teoh’s death.

“This is not about race. A human being died in the compound of MACC. This is not an issue of race,” he said.