Media Statement (2) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Thursday, 30^th July 2009: 

MCA, Gerakan, MIC and SUPP Ministers who had earlier expressed support for RCI into causes of Teoh Beng Hock’s death should explain why they failed yesterday to ask Cabinet to broaden the scope of RCI

Before last Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, the family and the Malaysian public were assured by the four MCA Ministers and the Minister each from Gerakan, MIC and SUPP that they would support in Cabinet the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the causes and circumstances of Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death at Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam.

In the event, these seven Cabinet Ministers from MCA, Gerakan, MIC and SUPP disappointed the Teoh family and justice-loving Malaysians by agreeing to the most unsatisfactory formula of dividing the inquiry into two parts – an inquest into Teoh’s death and a Royal Commission of Inqury into MACC’s interrogation techniques.

This created an nation-wide uproar which even ordinary MCA, Gerakan, MIC and SUPP ground leaders and members fully participated, for they just cannot understand why their party leaders in the Cabinet could be so insensitive to what basic justice and fair play demand – a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the causes and circumstances of Teoh’s death.

Apart from the Ministers, there was little endorsement for an inquest, as illustrated by the massive support of tens of thousands of people who attended the Teoh Beng Hock memorial meetings in seven states in the week after the previous Cabinet meeting, calling for a comprehensive Royal Commission of Inquiry.

The Malaysian public had expected the Cabinet yesterday to take into account the virtually unanimous views of the ordinary Malaysians for a comprehensive Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death, but the whole nation was again disappointed that there was no review of the earlier Cabinet decision.

The four MCA Ministers led by its President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, the Gerakan Minister and Gerakan President, Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon as well as the MIC and SUPP Ministers who had earlier expressed support for RCI into Teoh’s death should explain why they failed yesterday to ask the Cabinet to broaden the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the causes and circumstances of Teoh’s death.

If the scope of the Royal Commission of Inquiry is widened to cover the causes and circumstances of Teoh’s death, then the inquest which had a preliminary start in Shah Alam Court yesterday, could be stood down to await outcome of the RCI inquiry – as is the practice in other Commonwealth countries with similar legal systems with regard to public inquiries into unusual deaths which attract great public concern and interest.

Nanyang Siang Pau today quoted an unnamed Minister as saying that the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, while briefing the Cabinet on his visit to the Teoh family on Tuesday night, had expressed the hope that the Teoh family “would not be misled by other people”.

Did Najib make such a statement in the Cabinet? Who is Najib referring to? Why is the Minister afraid to speak on record rather than doing so anonymously? Is it MCA President Ong Tee Keat or Gerakan President Koh Tsu Koon.

Let the Minister come out into the open to identify himself.

There are more and more mysteries surrounding Teoh’s unusual death at MACC headquarters exactly two weeks ago.

At the inquest yesterday, the lead counsel representing the Attorney-general, Tan Hock Chuan furnished the team of lawyers representing the Teoh family, headed by Gobind Singh Deo a bundle of documents including post-mortem, forensics, toxicology and criminology reports, closed-circuit television (CCTV) clips and DNA samples.

Conspicuously missing from the bundle is the 10-page statement given by Teoh Beng Hock to the MACC. When will the lawyer team of Teoh’s family be given this important document?

The mysterious circumstances of Teoh’s death at MACC takes on a new dimension with the emergence of anonymous “blackblogs” making baseless, defamatory and scurrilous attacks on Selangor DAP leaders and supporters, with the latest going completely overboard in accusing Kajang Municipal Councillor Tan Boon Hwa and Lee Wye Wing of being Teoh’s murder just because of their earlier refusal to provide their DNA sample for legitimate reasons nothing to do with Teoh’s death.

However, because of these lies on the “blackblogs”, both Tan and Lee have agreed to give their DNA sample as they have nothing to hide.

The lies, half-truths and doctored documents like the one on the blackblog, http://t4tbh.blogspot.com/, deserves no credence whatsoever.

However, sometimes in lies there could be found some nuggets close to truth.

I refer to the following account on this black blog:

“The DNA of strange people found on Teoh's belt and the back of his jacket shows that Teoh was pulled up by his jacket and trousers / belt and pushed out the window.

”This means that Tan Boon Hwa and Lee Wye Wing grabbed Teoh by his jacket and trousers/belt and threw him out the window.

”The Police must arrest Tan Boon Hwa and Lee Wye Wing for the murder of Teoh Beng Hock”

Removes the lies about Tan Boon Hwa and Lee Wye Wing, but has the purported account of Teoh’s murder any ring of truth? It appears to be written by someone who might know what actually happened and who caused Teoh’s death.

Was Teoh pulled up by his jackets and trousers/belt and pushed out of the MACC’s 14th floor window? Was Teoh dead or alive when he was pushed out of the window? And who are these people concerned?

Only a Royal Commission of Inquiry and not an inquest can satisfy public confidence that there will be a full and no-holds-barred inquiry into the causes and circumstances of Teoh’s mysterious death at MACC headquarters.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor