Penang political aides want better protection

Athi Shankar Jul 20, 09 3:28pm

Malaysiakini

Special assistants to Penang government political leaders said today that they will only be available to attend any queries for graft investigations in their work premises and not anywhere else.

The decision was made by the 40 special assistants working for the Penang Pakatan Rakyat leaders following the sudden death of Teoh Beng Hock last Friday.

Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead after having been questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in relation to a probe into the spending of constituency funds.

His body was found on the fifth floor balcony of the building in which the MACC is housed in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Following this, the Penang special assistants have now taken the decision to protect themselves during any questioning by the MACC.

Penang executive council staff club acting chairperson Teh Lai Heng said that the state's special assistants may not cooperate with the MACC if the commission failed to bring those responsible for Teoh's death to face justice.

He also said that the MACC officers should guarantee the safety of special assistants during interrogations and questioning, adding that these special assistants should not be put under unwarranted intense pressure by the commission."We are just special assistants working for executive councillors. We should not be put under unnecessary stress," he told journalists after submitting a petition to the state MACC chief today.

"The length of investigation on Teoh was unreasonable (from 5pm to 3.45am)," said Teh, the special assistant to exco member Chow Kon Yeow.

Approval from their bosses a must

In the petition, the 40 special assistants said that they can be interviewed by the MACC in any corruption investigation in their working premises, which are the offices of executive councillors or assemblypersons.

They also insisted that they would only extend their cooperation to MACC after obtaining permission from their bosses.

Penang MACC director Latifah Md Yatim received the petition. She however declined to comment on it.

Also present at the press conference was the club's former chairperson Rezal Huzairi Md Zaki (right) who said the MACC should give an assurance that there is no repeat of the ‘Teoh episode' if the agency wanted the fullest cooperation from special assistants.

"MACC should set up an independent or a royal commission to investigate Teoh's death.

"MACC cannot wash its hands off the tragedy," said Rezal Huzairi, who works under Deputy Chief Minister 1 Mansor Othman.