Speech in Memory of Teoh Beng Hock by Lim Guan Eng in Chinese Assembly Hall on Thursday, 23^rd July 2009: 

The Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) should be concerned not just about human rights that were violated as a result MACC’s interrogation methods but also for the human life that was lost 

DAP urges the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to extend the terms of reference for RCI into the death of DAP’s Teoh Beng Hock to fully investigate the cause of death, identify the culprits responsible as well as identify and overcome weakness to prevent any more custodial deaths.

The Teoh Beng Hock RCI should be concerned not just about the human rights that were violated as a result of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) interrogation methods but also for causing the loss of human life.

The BN government must respect the wishes of Beng Hock’s family calling for a full RCI instead of the superficial RCI set up that appears to hide rather than disclose what happenend. Malaysians can not understand why the government is so concerned about Teoh’s human rights when Teoh is dead. There should be total focus on finding the real culprits and determine the truth so that justice can be done for Beng Hock.

Further the members and Chair of the RCI should be independent and we propose Senator Tunku Aziz as the Chairman. Even though Senator Tunku Aziz is from the DAP, he is a well respected person of impeccable integrity and upright reputation who was not only the President of Transparency International but also International Vice-President of TI.

Many of you do not know Teoh Beng Hock a week ago.

But now every Malaysian who reads will know who is Teoh Beng Hock - his open pleasant face, his distraught fiancé and his twisted body lying grotesquely on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building imprinted indelibly in our minds.

I vaguely remembered meeting him once. He was one of the many idealistic, bright and young Malaysians who joined the DAP after the political tsunami on 8 March 2008 that transformed our political landscape.

Teoh wanted to participate in the flowering of democracy and forge the real changes that promised equal opportunity, good governance and justice. Teoh wanted to be part of this amazing transformation shaping his country and future.

Let us honour him by ensuring that there would be no more Teoh Beng Hocks cases again and donating to the Teoh Beng Hock Trust Fund to look after the financial needs of his unborn child

He wanted to serve the public, through his position as a personal assistant to a Selangor State EXCO member.

This wish to serve has tragically cost Teoh his life, taking him away from his loved ones. Denying his parents of a son, his fiancé of her husband and his unborn child of a father.

Teoh is not the only one. Before him there were many others, Indians Malays and Chinese but he was the first DAP member to die so cruelly.

I am still in a state of shock and am terribly upset at the MACC for allowing this to happen when Teoh was under their custody. Much as we know the evil that lurks within our security agencies, we are still shocked at such acts of depravity. Whilst the many officers are decent human beings, it is always the few criminal elements that shatter any belief that our security forces can protect us or genuinely fight corruption.

We can ask the police why they are wasting public resources to arresting PR leaders and members but not focusing their energies on criminals threatening our safety. We can ask the MACC why they are interrogating hapless personal assistants over a few thousand ringgit for 11 hours till 3.45 am(who are not even suspects) but not applying the same harsh approach on those named in the RM 12.5 billion Port Klang Free Trade Zone scandal. We can also ask why the police and MACC allow themselves to be used as political weapons of BN.

But I choose to ask what wrong has Teoh done to deserve this? He did not steal or kill, he was only trying to do his job to serve and change Malaysia.

Which is perhaps why I cry but there are no tears!

Nothing said or done would ever wipe out the tears of Teoh’s loved ones. But if there is one duty we can do, it is to stop the deaths. To make sure that there are no more bright, young and idealistic Malaysians like Teoh dying in the hands of police or MACC.

This is one duty that all Malaysians whether fathers or mothers, sons or daughters must undertake. That we must clean up the police force and the MACC to make Malaysia safe for our children.

I still see Teoh’s crooked body lying there so helplessly in the MACC building. Like all Malaysians, we feel sad that we got to know Teoh Beng Hock after his death. But the memory of his ultimate sacrifice shall reside in our minds for the rest of our lives. We shall honour him by ensuring that there are no more Teoh Beng Hocks. And his dreams of a better Malaysia shall live in our hearts as long as we breathe.

Teoh Beng Hock Rest In Peace! The DAP shall establish a trust fund for your unborn child to ensure that he is taken care of known as the “TEOH BENG HOCK TRUST FUND”.

Details Of The Teoh Beng Hock Trust Fund

The Trust Fund’s purpose is to look after living, medical, education and other financial needs of the unborn child of late Sdr Teoh Beng Hock.

Bank account: Public Bank (Cawangan A/c No. 3154 127 533)

This is the only trust fund set up for the welfare of Sdr Teoh’s unborn child. The family has not given consent for the setting up of any other fund for this purpose.

* Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary-General & Penang Chief Minister; Member of Parliament for Bagan