PKR and DAP should stop fueling suspicion and hatred towards the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said Selangor opposition leader Dr Mohd Khir Toyo.
While expressing his condolence to the family of Teo Beng Hock, the former menteri besar however cautioned Pakatan Rakyat parties against blaming MACC for his death.
“It is unfair to simply hurl accusations against MACC without waiting for the results of the investigation.
“Let the police investigate first, and if they are dissatisfied with the outcome, then perhaps an independent inquiry could be held,” he said in a posting on his blog.
Teoh, who was working as the political secretary to Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hean Wah, is said to have plunged to his death from the Plaza Masalam building in Shah Alam yesterday.
The 30-year-old journalist was last seen at the MACC Selangor office - located on the 14th floor of the building - where he was brought in for questioning over investigations into alleged misappropriation of funds by his boss.
‘My family faced the same ordeal’
Khir said the MACC investigations should not be politicised, because it creates a lot of emotional pressure for the families involved when the issue is blown up in the media.
He added that his wife and school-going children had been through a similar ordeal with all the allegations levelled against him during his tenure as a menteri besar and even after that.
“Not only were files and documents seized when I was menteri besar, but my conversations were also recorded (by the commission) for eight hours.
“Even when I was no longer a menteri besar, all the allegations against me have been investigated by the MACC, including the latest issue concerning my bungalow,” he added.
Unlike some politicians, Khir said he has never called for press conferences to reveal or question the commission’s actions.
“Let this tragedy be a lesson to all of us. Do not politicise MACC investigations to the point that it creates the impression that the commission is acting on the behest of a certain political party,” he said, adding that MACC treats everyone the same.
Khir also accused Pakatan leaders of trying to divert attention, create doubts and shore up sympathy by publicising the MACC investigations against them.
“I hope Pakatan assemblypersons and excos are willing to be investigated and not blame MACC or use the media to garner sympathy.
“If they are upset, frustrated and hurt for being investigated, the same is felt by Barisan Nasional leaders who have to undergo the same procedure because of reports made by them (Pakatan),” he said.
The difference is, he pointed out, BN politicians do not make MACC the ’scapegoat’.
