Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali objects to RCI, salutes Najib's decision on Teoh

Right on cue, ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa swung into the Teoh Beng Hock controversy, urging Prime Minister Najib Razak not to give in to demands for a full-scale Royal Commission of Inquiry although it was not clear how the solving of a murder case related to Malay rights.

Nonetheless, it did not stop Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali from giving his two cents worth.

"We should all just leave it to the police to handle the matter and take action against the guilty party. What if this commission does work? What else will we establish next?" Malaysiakini reported Ibrahim as saying.

Yet Ibrahim, who late last year underwent a triple-bypass operation, contradicted himself when he praised Najib's decision to hold a partial RCI that focussed only the procedural aspect at the MACC and whether it had violated human rights during its interrodation of witnesses.

"For that, I salute him," said Ibrahim, without explaining why a partial RCI was better than a full-scale and thorough one.

Conspiracy

Although it is hard to figure out the link between a pressure group like Perkasa and solving what is most likely to be a murder case, few are surprised that Ibrahim was sticking his neck in.

Speculation is rife that the chief suspects are likely to come from amongst the MACC officers who interrogated Beng Hock or had directed his questioning.

Despite an18-month inquest that delivered an open verdict, most Malaysians believe Beng Hock died as a result of rough interrogation tecniques used by the MACC to extract a false confession to implicate Selangor Pakatan Rakyat leaders in an alleged corruption scandal. There is widespread speculation of a conspiracy between top MACC officials and state Umno leaders, who have pledged to topple Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's administration at all costs.

And despite his denials, Ibrahim's Perkasa has close links to Umno. Most of Perkasa's members are from Umno itself.

Beng Hock, a Selangor political aide was due to register his marriage on the day that his body was found sprawled on the fifth-floor podium of the MACC headquarters in Shah Alam.

The anti-graft agency had said Beng Hock committed suicide, but Thai forensic expert Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand found a severe neck injury that implied homicide, which even the Coroner acknowledged, although in the end, he still ruled against the possibility of foul play.

Blind protectionism

Pundits were cynical at the emergence of Perkasa, saying it only bolstered growing belief in an Umno-MACC conspiracy and that Najib was trying his best to cover up and protect the culprits from prosecution.

Najib's reason for refusing a full-scale inquiry was that the Attorney-General would file for a review of the inquest verdict. His decision was immediately panned.

“We don’t understand why Najib has asked the AG to file for a review. It is extremely fishy and smacks of a deliberate delaying tactic. Also by filing for a review, Najib is actually keeping control over the outcome by maintaining it within the federal government’s hands. Whereas in a Royal Commission of Inquiry, independent members in the panel won’t be so easily hushed up” Tian Chua, PKR vice president, told Malaysia Chronicle.

“We are also shocked by Perkasa objecting to an RCI. It doesn’t speak well for the image of Malay rights if the main pressure group of the community is perceived to be trying to prevent the truth from coming out due to racial reasons. Surely blind protectionism cannot help or bode well for the future of the community?” - Malaysia Chronicle