Malaysiakini Jun 23, 11
Veteran opposition lawmaker Lim Kit Siang has urged the cabinet to order the disclosure of the report by the royal commission of inquiry into Teoh Beng Hock’s death when it meets tomorrow.
In a statement today, Lim said that although RCI head Justice James Foong had said that the decision on whether the report can be made public lies with the Agong, the Agong still acts on the advice of the cabinet.
Citing Articles 39 and 40 of the federal constitution, Lim explained that the cabinet still had a large say on the matter.
“In another 23 days, it will be the second anniversary of Teoh’s mysterious and unusual death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009.
“The cabinet should not sit on the RCI report but must act responsibly by releasing it immediately to the public tomorrow itself in line with the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance,” said Lim.
A copy of the 124-page report was submitted to the Agong at the Istana Negara by the five-member RCI panel yesterday, after nearly five months of fact-finding and examining 70 witnesses.
The RCI was established by the Najib Abdul Razak administration after a 16-month-long inquest into Teoh’s death returned an “open verdict”.
Other than establishing the cause of Teoh’s death, the RCI’s terms of reference include making recommendations on MACC’s procedures.
Lim said that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak should agree to debate the RCI report in Parliament before the current session ends on June 30.
Should there be logistics problems in making the report public tomorrow, Lim said a copy can be made available to him to prepare a motion for debate.
He promised that in such an event, he can prepare a motion by the latest on Monday.