From Bloomberg

July 22 (Bloomberg) — An opposition aide’s death last week after plunging from the 14th floor of Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency may have ended Prime Minister Najib Razak’s honeymoon with the electorate.

Teoh Beng Hock, 30, died after being grilled by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission as a witness to the alleged misuse of public funds by the opposition-run state of Selangor. The government today may accede to demands from its own coalition partners and the opposition for an independent commission of inquiry after the death sparked public protests.

“This is a reminder to the Malaysian public that the institutions of the state have been compromised,” said James Chin, a professor of political science at the Malaysian campus of Australia’s Monash University outside Kuala Lumpur. “There is no check and balance within the police and the other law enforcement agencies. They’re not accountable to anyone save for the” government.

The police account of the circumstances of Teoh’s death, as reported by the New Straits Times, is that he was questioned for nearly 11 hours in a probe into misuse of public funds by opposition politicians and released at 3:45 a.m. on July 16. Police said his body was found on the 5th floor podium of the commission’s building at 1:30 p.m. and that he died between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., the newspaper said.

Additional Questions

Abu Kassim Mohammad, the deputy commissioner of the anti- graft agency, said Teoh wanted to rest for a while on a couch after he was discharged and several officers saw him sleeping there at 6 a.m., the New Straits Times reported. The police have not concluded investigations and will bring in another 40 people for questioning in addition to the 33 already queried, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said yesterday.

Najib, whose National Front has ruled since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957, had seen his public approval ratings jump before Teoh’s death. The prime minister recaptured political ground lost at last year’s election by adopting opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s mantle as a reformer, dismantling preferences in business for ethnic Malays. (more…)

Dari TV Antara

Dalam tempoh beberapa hari lalu, perkembangan berikut berlaku di stesen-stesen televisyen milik Media Prima dan akhbar-akhbar utama:
- TV3, NTV7 dan 8TV diarah untuk tidak melaporkan sebarang komen/pandangan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat mengenai kematian Teoh Beng Hock dan SPRM. Hanya komen BN dan pihak rasmi dibenar untuk disiarkan.
- Penerbit Berita Inggeris NTV7 diarah untuk memalsukan hasil tinjauan orang ramai ketika siaran berita stesen itu pada 21 Julai. Soalan berbunyi “Adakah Pakatan Rakyat telah mengeksploitasi isu Beng Huat. 88 peratus responden menjawab TIDAK. Hanya 12 peratus yang menjawab YA.
Namun arahan “atas” memaksa penerbit untuk mengumumkan bahawa 56 peratus daripada responden kononnya menjawab YA.
- Penerbit berita Saluran 8 atu 8TV dibidas oleh pihak “atasan” kerana menyiarkan visual polis menggunakan kekerasan ke atas orang ramai yang berkumpul sebagai tanda simpati terhadap Beng Hock depan pejabat SPRM Selangor Jumaat lalu.
Selain itu RTM, TV3,NTV7, 8TV, RTM diarah untuk tidak menyiarkan sebarang berita mengenai istana Khir Toyo atau mengaitkan isu itu kepada pemborosan Barisan Nasional, mahupun keengganan SPRM menyiasat mantan Menteri Besar Selangor itu. (more…)

Semalam, di Stadium Sungai Besar, saya nukilkan semula peringatan Ronggowarsito yang dikenali sebagai ramalan Jayabaya. Ianya terkandung di dalam Serat Kalatida, mengupas bencana keruntuhan negara yang dikaitkan dengan amalan seperti rasuah dan salah guna kuasa sang pemerintah. Ini adalah antara bait-bait yang ditulis oleh pujangga besar Jawa tersebut:

Hidup di zaman edan,
gelap jiwa bingung pikiran
turut edan hati tak tahan
jika tak turut
batin merana dan penasaran
tertindas dan kelaparan
tapi janji Tuhan sudah pasti
seuntung apa pun orang yang lupa daratan
lebih selamat orang yang menjaga kesadaran.

ANWAR IBRAHIM