Sorry Najib, making Foong the head of Teoh's RCI won't convince the Chinese

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak thought he did the right thing when he appointed Federal Court judge James Foong Cheng Yuen as the chairman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the death of Teoh Beng Hock.

Foong would have lent credence to the RCI and give the impression that Najib is serious about resolving the issues surrounding Teoh’s death. Teoh is the political aide who died mysteriously after being questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in July 2009.

It is difficult to know whether to laugh at Najib’s stupidity or be angry with him, for believing that he could get away with such a ridiculous assumption concerning Foong’s appointment.

Najib gambled on using ethnicity to appease the Chinese public. And he lost.

Najib has been practising race politics all his life that he now believes in his own lies. He refuses to understand that decisions based on race are not the panacea for Malaysia’s ills. He fails to acknowledge that Teoh’s death is a Malaysian problem.

It is like saying Kugan’s death should be presided by an Indian or Aminulrasyid by a Malay.

Najib is a master manipulator of the small-minded Umno type and he uses BN as the breeding ground for more abuses of power to exploit and to bully. He has already vowed to wrest Selangor from the opposition, similar to the shady tactics employed in Perak.

This time he failed, for today’s rakyat is a discerning lot.

Najib might as well have put Chua Soi Lek as the head of the RCI. Chua is Chinese but will that convince us that the RCI will get a fair hearing?

In fact Najib could have placed a monkey or a donkey to head the RCI and it would perform just as well as Foong.

Najib must realise by now that the Malaysian public is perspicacious enough to see through his window-dressing. Today’s rakyat has high demands and expectations. Najib cannot take advantage of them, that easily.

Foong will not increase Najib’s credibility nor lend legitimacy to the proceedings of this RCI. He takes his orders from Najib and thus far, does not seem to have acted professionally.

The best people for the inquiry have not been assembled. People who are still serving in the government service have been selected and none are from outside the service, like in previous royal panels.

None of the Teoh’s family requests were entertained. Their star witness, the Thai Pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunand was not even included. This RCI does not have any representation from the Bar Council or respected individuals on its panel.

Despite all the shortcomings and disappointments, Najib has the gall to blame the family for using delay tactics and for treating this RCI as a political football prior, to the general election.

Najib’s actions revolve around presenting an image to the rakyat, purportedly to show that he is listening to them.

His administration is losing credibility. Public confidence is at an all time low. He besmirches the name of the King whose consent was needed for the RCI. Most important of all, the Teoh family is denied their fundamental right for justice.

Najib’s window-dressing failed to convince us. In the end, Foong’s rôle is only as a sop to the Chinese. - Malaysia Chronicle