By Mariam Mokhtar
Wednesday, 11 August 2010 14:05
OPINION Teoh Beng Hock’s death was an undignified one. He was found dead on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) offices after an overnight interrogation to answer corruption allegations involving his boss.
Teoh’s family maintain that he was murdered, but the MACC contend that he took his own life.
Even after burial, Teoh Beng Hock had an undignified eternal rest. His body was exhumed for a second examination by a team of pathologists.
Disagreements about how he died plagued the inquest. The expert Thai pathologist Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand, who appeared for Teoh’s family, was positive there was an 80% chance of homicide. Pathologists acting on behalf of the government claim that his injuries were consistent with a fall from a great height.
When Teoh’s child was born, his son was thrown into the limelight, with calls that he should be named after his dad and be used as a tool to shame the MACC and the government. It is undignified to use his son as a pawn.
A Royal Commission into Teoh’s death was disallowed and so there was a convoluted inquest, which has not proceeded smoothly.
It appears that even as his family sought to clear Teoh’s name, efforts behind the scenes continue to manipulate events.
The latest attempt to besmirch Teoh’s good name, is the purported discovery of a ‘suicide note’, ostensibly written and signed by Teoh, which was found two months after his death.
Is there no depth to their depravity? Can they not spare further pain, for this family in mourning?
Teoh’s family, already under enormous strain, does not require further emotional distress, and must be protected from the intense public scrutiny and media pressure.
If the family feels the pain, it is also the patience of the Malaysian public that is being tested.
The authorities have displayed a spectacular lack of procedure and professionalism.
The circumstances of Teoh’s death, pales into insignificance, although they are important and relevant. But it is the chain of events, culminating in this latest revelation that are damaging.
It is clear that the judiciary, the police and the prosecutors are conspiring for reasons unknown. Well, that is the impression portrayed.
They are seen as confused and bumbling idiots, who are both incompetent and unprofessional. Most of all, they seem desperate.
They are oblivious to the fact that their credibility and integrity are compromised. Even the highest law in the land is complicit.
In normal civilized countries, the head of such an outfit, would have assumed responsibility for such a bungled investigation. Thus, the attorney-general should have offered his resignation.
Apparently not, in Malaysia.
So, the charade continues, in an attempt to dupe Teoh’s family and the public. The demand for a fair inquest seems unattainable.
The whole investigation has descended into chaos and is mired in controversy from the start. The MACC, the investigating officer, the police, the prosecutors and the attorney-general should be ashamed of holding positions of responsibility. The whole outfit is tarnished and staffed by people who lack accountability.
If Teoh Beng Hock’s name is synonymous with dignity, it is the other people in positions of responsibility, who have lost all credibility.