I proposed that Najib did these four things for Beng Hock on his “seventh day”:

“First and foremost, a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCT), now a national and cross-party consensus, must be set up and function effectively. Two conditions must be met. Firstly, to ensure no whitewash, the Commissioners must be appointed upon cross-party consensus after consultation with Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Alternatively, the chair and half of other Commissioners must be nominated by PR. Secondly, the RCI’s terms of reference must cover not only the tragic incident and the identification of individuals responsible for his death, but more importantly to identify if the command and power structure of MACC contributed to the torturing of suspects and witnesses including that of Halimi Kamaruzzaman and Tan Boon Hwa.

The second decision is the suspension of all MACC officers involved in the investigation of the Selangor cases right from Ahmad Said — if none has the decency to offer his resignation — until the investigation by RCI is completed. Malaysians will not believe the RCI has a free hand if top officials like Ahmad Said who categorically deny any responsibility remain in control of MACC.

The third decision is the ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture to be followed by necessary legal reforms.

The fourth decision, and perhaps the most important one for the families of Teoh and other victims of state torture, is to set up an independent Foundation Against Torture named after Teoh.

This foundation should have an initial endowment and annual grant adequate to carry out three tasks: policy research, education, and reconciliation. This foundation should be tasked with policy research on human rights in law enforcement, to monitor trends and propose necessary changes in laws, policies and regulations to eliminate torture.

It should also carry out human rights education for all employees of law enforcement agencies and the general public. Third, it should right historical injustices by facilitating fact finding, reconciliation and even compensation to the families of past victims of state torture.

In other words, it should work much like a Truth and Reconciliation Commission except that it shall operate as a public charity rather than a state institution.”

Najib has done neither of the above. Yes, he did announce the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, but that is to only investigate about the MACC investigation procedure, not about how Beng Hock died.

The inquiry into his death was to be left to an inquest led by a magistrate – yes, only a magistrate. It is like investigating on the sharpness of a knife, but not who has used it to murder.

Mr Najib, you are making the RCI a farce, as many cynical Malaysians here have concluded immediately after Beng Hock’s death. Dont add insult to injury.

Advertisement