Don't Let Teoh's Death Be In Vain

Much has been said and written about the tragic death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock. There is anger, sadness and confusion over what has happened.

The calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry are growing louder. Perhaps in due time we will be able to find out the truth of what actually happened, and, if some heads have to roll, let them roll.

But that alone will not stop situations like this from reoccurring, just as the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye has not stopped police brutality from persisting. Similarly, the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam video has done nothing to bolster people’s confidence in the judiciary.

That’s because the underlying causes of these various problems have not been addressed, only the specific incidences of wrongdoing.

What we need are institutions that are truly independent and apolitical. The police force might claim it is above politics but its behaviour leading to, and during, the May 7 Perak state assembly sitting doesn’t make a strong case for its neutrality.

Likewise the MACC might claim to investigate graft allegations without fear or favour but, the fact that it has gone after a bunch of Selangor state representatives for allegations of corruption on relatively minor amounts (RM2,400 for the purchase of flags, for example) while not batting an eyelid over a former menteri besar’s luxury mansion, doesn’t exactly paint an image of impartiality either.

We also need our enforcement agencies to be more humane. Every one of these officers – from the top down – needs to take courses not just on civil liberties but also the Malaysian constitution. Far too often, those detained or questioned have their fundamental rights trampled all over.

Unless there is some CCTV footage of his interrogation, we might never know what exactly transpired during Teoh’s marathon grilling session which lasted from 5pm to 3.45 am. But if it’s anything like what Kajang municipal councillor, Tan Boon Hwa, says he endured, it’s certainly something that should be of grave concern to all right-thinking people.

Tan, who was also brought into questioning as a witness, says he was forced to stand for four hours, was threatened with physical violence and had to endure racial epithets. He claims there were even threats made concerning his family.

Such interrogation techniques are the kind of thing you would expect to happen when someone is detained under the dreaded ISA – which in itself is a gross violation of human rights and civil liberties – but certainly not during the questioning of witnesses.

We don’t know if Tan’s account is accurate or not, and if it is, whether Teoh was subjected to the same harsh treatment. It’s certainly something that an independent inquiry must look into.

Any independent inquiry must also shed light on whether such interrogation techniques, if indeed they were used, are part of MACC’s standard operating procedures or whether they were the actions of rogue MACC officials.

If they were the action of officials who had overstepped their boundaries, questions then need to be asked why there was no effective oversight mechanism or checks and balances to ensure such things do not happen.

The irony of the MACC, which is now viewed with total cynicism and distrust by the broader public, is that it was supposed to be a better version of the ACA, which was largely seen as ineffective. The MACC was given more powers to really go after graft but it seems to be using those powers for political persecution; to conduct unfair investigations using accusatory methods that are reminiscent of McCarthyism in the US in the 1950s.

Teoh’s death is tragic but it won’t be in vain if it brings about positive change. If Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak believes that economic reforms are all that’s necessary to appease an increasingly educated and demanding public, Teoh’s death should open his eyes. And if it doesn’t, his very savvy and capable political secretary, Oh Ei Sun, should tell him that if he wants his 1Malaysia concept to really work, he needs to buck up on civil liberties as well.