Saturday 18 July 2009

Muhyiddin: Cabinet to consider setting up royal panel

A day after brushing aside the need to set up a royal commission to investigate the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today said the proposal will be brought up for discussion at the next cabinet meeting.

He said that requests for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh will be discussed in the meeting, according to a report by the Star.

The views of various quarters would be studied to decide whether or not there is a necessity to set up a commission, he told reporters in Ipoh after opening the National Cooperative Day 2009.

Muhyiddin was responding to calls for a commission to be set up after 30-year-old Teoh, political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam on Thursday after giving statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

In dismissing suggestions for the government to set up a royal commission yesterday, Tan Sri Muhyiddin said the police were already probing the death.

Pakatan leaders including DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang and PKR de facto leader Datuk Anwar Ibrahim had demanded that a royal commission of Inquiry be set up to investigate the death.

Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had also independently called for a royal panel.

Yesterday, 17 civil society groups issued a joint statement demanding for an independent investigation into what they called “the first political death” under Najib Abdul Razak's government.

Police have classified the case as sudden death but have not ruled out foul play.

An autopsy report said Teoh died of multiple injuries caused by a fall from a great height.

No arrests have been made but police said they have questioned 23 people, including 17 MACC officials.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That's good news.

Hope it will be a neutral body made up of members acceptable to both sides and who will report directly to the YP Agong.

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