Yesterday morning, I sent an urgent fax to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak asking for a meeting at the first available opportunity on his return from overseas over the unusual plunge to death of Teoh Beng Hock, political secretary to DAP Selangor State Exco and Seri Kembangan Assemblyman, Ean Yong Hian Wah from the 14th floor of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday.
I made clear in my fax that the purpose of the meeting is to discuss Teoh’s unusual death in MACC custody which has created nation-wide anger and outrage from Malaysians regardless of race, religion or political affiliation apart from a handful of top MCA, Gerakan, MIC and UMNO leaders.
If I meet Najib on his return from overseas, I will impress on him that the MACC after six months of creation is on trial, the police is on trial and most important of all, Najib’s premiership is on trial in their handling of Teoh’s unusual death and public anger as to how a healthy, vibrant and idealistic young political worker could enter the MACC hqrs as a witness in its investigation only to end up as a corpse in a plunge from the 14th floor of the building.
I am prepared to meet Najib even at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) when he returns from abroad tomorrow.
If Najib agrees to meet, I will ask the Parliamentary Opposition Leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia Ketua Umum Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang to come along to impress on Najib why for the sake of the credibility of MACC and his premiership, there is no option but for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s unusual death from plunge from 14th floor of MACC hqrs.
Public confidence in the Cabinet is not enhanced by the schizophrenic and self-serving reactions given by Ministers to Teoh Beng Hock’s death.
I was impressed yesterday that the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was moving away from his earlier dismissal of calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s death when he said yesterday that requests for a Royal Commission of Inquiry would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
But what is most disappointing are the public positions taken by two Cabinet Ministers, one by the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the other by the MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.
After keeping a thunderous silence on Thursday and Friday, Ong has come out with a wishy-washy position that the Cabinet will “explore” whether there should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death.
What is there to “explore”? What the public want is that Ong and the three other MCA Ministers, as well as Gerakan President, Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon should take a firm stand in Cabinet that a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh’s death should be set up – and that there is no two ways about it.
If on Teoh’s death, Ong and his team of four MCA Ministers and Koh cannot convince the Cabinet to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry, what is the use of their remaining in the Cabinet?
Such a firm and uncompromising stand must be taken after the shocking statement by Hishammuddin yesterday, who said that the establishment of a royal commission to investigate Teoh’s death should not be done hastily as police investigation into the case was still at the preliminary stage.
Are the MCA and Gerakan Ministers prepared to speak the truth in the Cabinet on Wednesday and convey the total lack of confidence of Malaysians from all racial and religious groups in any political investigation into high-profile cases of deaths in custody – after the outrageous case of Anwar’s “black-eye” scandal while in police custody in 1998, when the police accused Anwar of “self-inflicted” “black-eye” wounds?
Muhyiddin was misleading the public when he said that only the Cabinet can decide on whether there could be public independent inquiry into Teoh’s death.
The Prime Minister has the power to make such a decision and make an announcement even before a Cabinet meeting – which was what former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi did on Monday, 28th November 2005 on touch-down at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Subang when he returned from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Malta, announcing an independent public inquiry into the nude ear-squat police scandal ahead of any Cabinet meeting!
Is Najib going to be even less decisive than his predecessor, Abdullah on the need for an independent public inquiry into scandals involving key enforcement agencies like the Police or MACC, which go to the root of public confidence in the credibility, legitimacy and integrity of the entire administration and his premiership?
#1 by novice101 on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 1:08 pm
Anwar as leader of the opposition should have been the one to initiate this move to see Najib. He should be the first one to present the desire of the people to Najib. Why does he need to be invited/ He should have volunteered himself. He has been rather quite on this issue.
#2 by Jong on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 1:48 pm
Because the “shit-stirrer” is a PKR MP for Wangsa Maju that’s why!
#3 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 3:02 pm
I repeat the substance of my posting in the other thread.
You are right that there’s no other option but for a Royal Commission of Enquiry (RCI).
RCI is the only institutional mechanism available to address this kind of abuse and make it come to public light.
As I have said in posting in earlier thread on same subject:-
· MACC’s conduct of internal investigation cannot be counted upon to be able to make an objective and impartial determination of a high profile case involving its own possible lache and its own officers’ wrong doing. It cannot be a fair judge of its own case.
· the other alternative is police but police themselves are under long shadow of A Kugan’s custodial death, yet unresolved, so how could they be counted upon to investigate the other branch regarding a common accusation to which both branches are subject?
So other than MACC or police, which other body there is (besides RCI) will be in the position to enquire and investigate such a case?
NGOs like the Bar Council, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Centre for Independent Journalism, Centre for Policy Initiatives, Group of Concerned Citizens, Malaysia Youth and Student Democratic Movement, Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor and Jamaah Islah Malaysia have called for RCI. Even MCA Chew Mai Fun.
I quote him:
///You want RCI to find out the truth and so also is the BAR council. It is my right to say that you and the BAR council are idiots. RCI as a method to harass the government into action yes, but RCI as a mechanism to find out the truth, you can kiss my ass. What happened to RCI on Lingam tape, and what happened to Police investigation on Kugan’s case? Just to name two./// – LimKamPut.
To him only a Lim Kam Put Commission of Enquiry would do. :)
#4 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 3:04 pm
Before the statement “I quote him” – there is an omitted statement – “However one amongst us consider all who call for RCI idiots – Lim Kam Put”.
#5 by limkamput on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 3:26 pm
Jeffrey, you are master to take the matter out of context. You lose argument in another thread and now you want to stab me from a back here. You are pathetic.
I said RCI would not be able to find out the truth, but I did say that RCI is a mechanism to pressure the government into action. It is the process; it will never be the end. The end will come only when there is a change in Federal Government. You want to wager with me again. Remember you lost the last one over the ability of Malaysian courts to dispense justice of what happened in Perak
Anyway, don’t say I want to brag, ok. Sdr Lim now wants to bring along Hadi and Anwar to see PM upon his return. You may want to ask Sdr Lim where he got the idea from.
#6 by limkamput on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 3:27 pm
second line… from the back
#7 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 3:43 pm
Najib is dying to watch the Man Utd v Malaysian XI replay when he gets back. That’s might be his priority.
The Star
“JEDDAH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was pleasantly surprised with Malaysia’s narrow 2-3 defeat to touring English Premier League champions Manchester United in a soccer friendly in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
“We lost 2-3? I thought we lost 0-6,” he said in jest when asked to comment on the match result at a press conference after he had had an audience with King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, here late Saturday evening.”
Just a perspective.
#8 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 8:06 pm
“RCI would not be able to find out the truth, but I did say that RCI is a mechanism to pressure the government into action” – Lim Kam Put.
LimKaput,
I mentioned the need for RCI. So did the Bar Council. Maybe some truth will come out, maybe not but at least the government is pressured into action.
Whichever way, nobody has said that RCI would definitely yield results. However if neither MACC nor police is suitable mechanism to investigate what other option is there other than RCI (which is what even Saudara Lim Lim is here suggesting and meeting the PM for)?
So what is the basis for you to put words like “you want RCI to find out the truth and so also is the BAR council” and then proceed to say “It is my right to say that you and the BAR council are idiots..”?
And now you say “Anyway, don’t say I want to brag, ok. Sdr Lim now wants to bring along Hadi and Anwar to see PM upon his return. You may want to ask Sdr Lim where he got the idea from.”
From you??? Hah hah ROFL.
You said the BAR Council & I are idiots to support Kit’s call for RCI (because we are idiots to think RCI could ferret the truth) – yet you are claiming credit to give Sdr Lim “idea” to bring along Hadi and Anwar to see PM upon his return to lobby for RCI? (And reason for that is because RCI, though could not find out the truth, yet could “pressure the government into action” – is that it? Is that the basis of your claim to credit for giving
“Sdr Lim ‘idea’ to bring along Hadi and Anwar to see PM upon his return to lobby for RCI?”
Your position is as inconsistent as it is incoherent.
“Anyway, don’t say I want to brag, ok”. What is there that you are bragging about – your inconsistency or incoherence? :) :) :)
#9 by Onlooker Politics on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 8:22 pm
“I said RCI would not be able to find out the truth.” (limkamput)
It may not be easy for RCI to find out the truth of “who really cause death to Teoh Beng Hock!” However, there are at least three important truths which we want to know and the answers are readily available from the MACC HQ, those are,
(1) whether the MACC interrogators were given a set of guidelines for using the permissible interrogation techniques;
(2) whether the interrogators did follow the guidelines dutifully and correctly when interrogating Teoh Beng Hock;
(3) whether the interrogators were permitted according to the guidelines to interrogate a key witness for an extensive long hours, even after the normal office hours and extended to early morning 3:45 am.
#10 by limkamput on Sunday, 19 July 2009 - 8:22 pm
Obviously you have not read all my postings. I suggest do so first. Until then, you are just laughing at yourself.
My argument with you is similar to your position on Malaysian courts’ impartiality to dispense justice. The rest i need not answer.
#11 by Jeffrey on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 12:33 am
//My argument with you is similar to your position on Malaysian courts’ impartiality to dispense justice//
Yes Courts are not independent, therefore don’t make any application to them.
Yes Royal Commission of Enquiry cannot enquire the truth, therefore dispense with it.
Yes we are familiar with your arguments.
#12 by StevePCH on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 12:37 am
is it of any use YB Lim ?
seems like NTR ‘s case also needed a RCI and guess what ….
Anyway, like limkamput and jeffrey said or argue about, anything is better than nothing.
MACC officers are appointed partly from Police force … the current investigation will probably just be a opera show.
#13 by anna brella on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 12:53 am
“Najib is dying to watch the Man Utd v Malaysian XI replay when he gets back. That’s might be his priority.” – sheriff singh.
I believe that perspective is spot on!
“Imagine Power To The People” John Lennon.
#14 by Woof on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 1:03 am
“Obviously you have not read all my postings. I suggest do so first” limkamput
You’re asking Jeffrey to indulge in intellectual masturbation. Are you blind? Jeffrey will go blind after reading all your postings.
#15 by Jeffrey on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 1:55 am
Maybe go crazy.
To be fair, Lim Kam Put did suggest “YB Kit, may be it would be wiser if you can bring Anwar, Hadi along (if PM agrees). I know Teoh was from DAP, but it would better if PKR and PAS also come” in a posting on 18th, 2009 22:38 under an earlier blog thread “LKS wants to meet Najib at the first available opportunity after his overseas trip”.
Whether or not there was any connection between his suggestion and Kit’s subsequent thread “ I will ask Anwar and Hadi to come along to impress on Najib why for the sake of the credibility of MACC and his premiership, there is no option but for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s unusual death from plunge from 14th floor of MACC hqrs” on July 19th, 2009, or the connection was pure coincidental, Lim Kam Put claims credit for the former and ejaculated (verbally), “Obviously you have not read all my postings. I suggest do so first” and “Anyway, don’t say I want to brag, ok. Sdr Lim now wants to bring along Hadi and Anwar to see PM upon his return. You may want to ask Sdr Lim where he got the idea from.”
The irony – and heres where the “intellectual masturbation” – is that whilst he claims credit for urging Kit, Anwar & Hadi to meet and impress upon Najib on establishing the RCI, he also at the same time inconsistently said that the “Bar Council and I were idiots” to support call for RCI since it is not expected to get in the truth, if past experiences were anything to go by – “It is my right to say that you and the BAR council are idiots. RCI as a method to harass the government into action yes, but RCI as a mechanism to find out the truth, you can kiss my ass. What happened to RCI on Lingam tape, and what happened to Police investigation on Kugan’s case? Just to name two” , he said on July 19th, 2009 in thread “Let Us Clean Up The Police Force And MACC To Make Malaysia Safe For Our Children”. :)
#16 by Woof on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 3:15 am
“Lim Kam Put claims credit for the former and ejaculated (verbally) ….”
He should exercise restraint or else he’ll go blind.
#17 by limkamput on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 7:21 am
Woof@sob, tell me what have you got, other than be the sidekick of others. come on, show me what have you got between your eyes. Both of you are paid bloggers.
#18 by Callum on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 10:35 am
I think the objective of this blog becomes deviated. If u guys want to act like a child, pls stop using the forum.
#19 by OrangRojak on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 10:51 am
by Woof: he’ll go blind
The research suggests he’ll live longer, have less cancer, be more fertile and – in common with many physical attributes – use results in strength, disuse in atrophy.
There’s absolutely no risk of blindness, only a small – but benign – increase in the amount of time one spends with one’s eyes closed.
#20 by limkamput on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 2:45 pm
The great Jeffrey,
Like all corrupted souls, the quality of your posting has dropped precipitately not due to your lack of intellectual prowess. It is because you are now intellectually corrupt, having sold your soul to your paymasters. Is there future for this country? I doubt very much because almost everybody, including the high and mighty talkers here are corrupt. I expect some standard from you lah. For others, they are merely loud mouth loose cannon, one liners and sidekicks.
#21 by hongsichuan on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 5:48 pm
“Public confidence in the Cabinet is not enhanced by the schizophrenic and self-serving reactions given by Ministers to Teoh Beng Hock’s death.”
Mr Lim, I do take offence by your use of the word “schizophrenic”. The Ministers whom you were not referring are not known to have suffered from the illness schizophrenia. According to statistics, about 1% of people are afflicted with the illness. To make joke about schizophrenia or to associate the illness with the bad behaviours of politicians is showing disrespect to approximately 1% of the world populaion and creating greater stigma against them in society. Many advanced societies are now trying to promote better understanding of the such illnesses. Your remark does the opposite.
You owe all schizophrenic patients (including the economic Nobel Prize laureate John Nash) an apology. If your conscience directs you to issue an apology, I expect it to be posted in a prominent place in your blog, so that it educates the public not to joke or make derogatory remarks about this illness.
#22 by Woof on Monday, 20 July 2009 - 7:44 pm
“The great Jeffrey…the quality of your posting has dropped precipitately …” Limkamput
Precipitately??
If you’re not careful with your words, you will soon be precipitation. Or worse. Jeffrey, SpeakUp and the others will reduce you to cellulose acitate.