As expected, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the suspicious death of Selangor political aide Teoh Beng Hock has turned out to be another sham by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who had been accused of trying to buy time for his BN coalition as they headed into the Tenang by-election in Johor last month.
Thai forensic expert Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand - probably the most crucial witness for the Teoh family - was dropped from the RCI's witness list.
"It looks like those who voted for Umno got a poor deal. Not only has Najib been insincere about Beng Hock, but the very next day (after the balloting of the vote which BN won), almost the entire electorate was flooded due to decades of poor administrative governanace," PKR vice president Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.
Beng Hock had died in mysterious circumstances after overnight interrogation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, who insists he committed suicide. The agency's pathologists have reported that he died from a fall from a great height, and also said foul play was not involved.
Pornthib, voted the most trusted person in Thailand in a recent Reader's Digest poll, has said she believed homicide was involved, pointing to a huge pre-fall injury around his neck that suggested physical manhandling prior to death.
“If we are supposed to have an independent investigation, the first name should be Dr Pornthip," argued Gobind Singh Deo, the lawyer for Teoh's family who are adamant their son died from torture by MACC officers.
Neutrality in question
But while rejecting Pornthip, the RCI also accepted Deputy Public Prosecutors from the Attorney-General's chambers who had participated in the inquest. The inquest, which took 18 months, ended late last year, with the Coroner delivering an open verdict, meaning that he concluded it was neither suicide or homicide.
The Coroner's decision sparked massive public unhappiness, especially amongst the Chinese community, which incidentally formed 48 percent of the Tenang electorate.
Najib, backed by MCA president Chua Soi Lek, had stood firm despite calls for a review and full-fledged Royal Commission of Inquiry. He suddenly relented as the Tenang campaign headed into the last stretch.
Coincidently, Soi Lek too changed his tune and also echoed approval for an RCI although he had previously said it was unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers' resources.
The 5-member RCI was formed without taking into consideration the wishes of the Teoh family, who had asked for an expanded panel to ensure impartialty, It is headed by former Supreme Court judge James Foong.
“Until and when we have reason to doubt their impartiality, we will accept their assistance,” said Foong, overruling Gobind's objection to the inclusion of the officers form the AG's chambers.
“We find comfort in the fact that all parties represented will not only provide the necessary check and balance, but assist us in bringing forth information and relevant evidence in achieving our terms of reference."
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