The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) was approved yesterday but it will not look into the cause of Teoh Beng Hock's death. The circumstances of his death are to be determined at an inquest presided over by a magistrate while investigations remain in the hands of the police.

Hence the RCI scenario is like two bald men fighting over a comb. Both sides are the follically-challenged opponents who will want their own appointees in the RCI.

But at the end of it all, though I don't doubt that the RCI will do a good job within its narrow terms of reference, what will eventually become of its findings? The RCI on police had compiled a thick volume but we've not seen any action to rein in the force since the IPCMC report was published in May 2005.

Also do please recall that MACC is already supposed to have been reformed, and only early this year. It's old ACA wine in new bottle, rebranded on January 1, 2009.

Prime Minister Najib Razak revealed yesterday as well that the RCI will have the purview to look into MACC investigative procedures.

Wasn't MACC advised as to what constitute best practices, including in the area of 'investigative procedures' before the show hit the road? After all, MACC has 42 eminent consultants sitting on various panels, committees and advisory boards providing oversight. Which begs the next question: Are the 42 Tun, Tan Sris, Datuks and assorted VIPs aware that MACC still hasn't put in place acceptable investigative procedures?

If the distinguished panelists are indeed aware that MACC standard operating procedures are flawed, then why did they consent to give their seal of approval by lending their names and conferring legitimacy to the enterprise?

Police elements in MACC

 

 

The right practice is to interview a witness but MACC interrogate theirs.

The correct procedure is to call a witness to lend his co-operation to proceedings, not humiliate and intimidate him to extract a confession or fabricate evidence. From police reports lodged by those who have been previously questioned by MACC, we get a picture that its officers employ underhanded and brutal tactics.

Some ACA officers were police; presumably so too are MACC officers as the latter is an incarnation of the former. It was the police 'Special Crimes' branch that handled criminal investigation involving corruption.

Malaysian police are a health hazard to people they come into contact with. As recently as June 27, Choong Soy Soy died after allegedly “slipping and falling??? in the toilet while under police detention. Now there is slipping and falling out a window.

If the 42 'quality assurance' overseers are the ones already tasked with ensuring that MACC methods are above board, why is there any further need then for an RCI? Shouldn't these MACC advisory boards, committees and panels currently linked to MACC be the ones responsible for any review?

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, responding to Beng Hock's death, gave this comment: “Our major public institutions and our political system have degenerated to the point that the public no longer trusts them. A democratic system of government cannot function below a certain threshold of public confidence.???

KuLi is spot-on in his assessment. I'm an ordinary member of the public who has come to mistrust the MACC. Why? Because I think they lied about letting Beng Hock go at 3.45am. It's only their word for it whereas all other indications point to the contrary.

Umno's blunt instruments

As I see it, MACC is an Umno proxy to arm-twist those they can.

“The MACC has become Umno’s tool to topple the Selangor government???, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang stated. Well, had Beng Hock been a BN political aide in Johor or Pahang, he would not have been hauled up by MACC to be queried over 1,500 Malaysian flag purchased at the cost of RM1.60 each.

Yesterday too the MACC advisors met up for a briefing. The advisors reportedly told MACC deputy director-general Abu Kassim Mohamed that his organization's public relations was “very poor???, thus perception by the public that they are selective in their prosecution.

There's no need for me to go into the unsuccessful history of MACC and its precursor ACA. Their track record is there for everyone to see.

Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai sits on the MACC corruption consultation and prevention panel.

On July 19, he wrote in his Sunday Star column, “But the Deputy Prime Minister is right. Let’s not be too quick to hurl accusations based on suspicions, emotions and prejudices??? and observed that Beng Hock “was a witness to a corruption case involving misuse of allocations by several state assemblymen???.

Wong is himself too hasty. By carelessly forgetting to append the quintessential journalist's beloved word 'alleged', Wong gives the impression that there is truly a case made on the misappropriation of funds when at this point, MACC is only harassing the DAP assemblymen.

On July 16, Wong sent out this message on his Twitter, “Selangor: Man who jumped down from 14th floor of MACC building said to be Teoh Beng Hock, political secretary to exco member Ean Yong.??? In describing the plunge as “jumped down???, Wong has already prejudged the fatal episode.

Majority of M'sians decent people

It is evident to me that Malaysia's law enforcement agencies including the MACC behave in a biased and malicious manner.

Yet Wong and his senior colleagues in the mainstream media (particularly Utusan Malaysia and Malay Mail) through their slant in reporting fail to pay enough attention to the 800lb gorilla in the room – that would be Khir Toyo – and prefer sniffing around peanuts where Selangor state reps are concerned.

Despite that Datuk Seri Wong as Star group-editor is our favourite target in blogosphere, I believe that he's a decent man at heart. I remember Wong – my senior – as a personable character in the office. He has displayed a genuine sympathy for the victim and his bereaved family and devastated fiancee. So do we all.

 

 

SP Lim, a commentator in People's Parliament left this note to Haris Ibrahim: “Please look again at the photos of Kit Siang and Karpal Singh during the wake and funeral. I see two old men mourning for their son. I see and feel their pain.???

In a sense and paradoxically, Beng Hock's death has brought out the finer feelings in us. We have a pro-Umno blogger like Wenger J Khairy penning a generous and respectful condolence, putting aside political differences. Generally the ordinary Malaysian is able to see the tragic loss for what it is and why it has tugged at our heartstrings.

And whether consciously or not, we've elected to remember the young man in a hopeful, positive light. Portraiture of Beng Hock in banners, placards and fliers all depict a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed boy next door.

This moment we're experiencing is a watershed and will reverberate into the future. The powers-that-be are well aware of this and we've seen the traditional Umno propaganda machines revving into first gear to counter public expressions of solidarity and goodwill. The pity of it is that the sheer nastiness of Umno-controlled media and operatives has hung a dark cloud over our land.

I have an inkling of the sentiment on the street. It is the common human decency of our Malaysian elite strata of society, and who they choose to associate with, that leaves me wondering.