Letters from the Equator

I am grieving for Teoh Beng Hock, although I don’t know the man. But in a way, I do know him, the way we all know him – he was just a Malaysian just like all of us, who just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong reasons.

Teoh responded as a witness to an investigation carried out by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which should have been as harmless as appearing for jury duty in court – but instead he died a tragic death, and the evidence so far doesn’t put the MACC in a very good light (unless you only subscribe to The Star, or the New Straits Times, who are both owned by the ruling coalition).

Teoh’s death is shocking because it’s yet another story we don’t want to believe – that our country isn’t as safe as we once thought it was. But it’s also shocking because the MACC, which is supposed to stand against corruption, did not provide the kind of protection for this witness. In fact, all evidence seems to point against that – that what we are made to understand as a means to benefit the country, is just a tool of the ruling coalition to cement their power by spin doctoring news in their favor.

If this is indeed true, then it’s as though they have crossed a certain boundary like a termination of contract – one that says that the current government has gone against its promise to serve the people.

When it comes to times like this – it changes your perspective of life – that somehow your rights are no longer being protected, and that the dreams that you work so hard for seem to fade away in the distance.

A real country that stands on its own is a country that is run by its people, not a country that is run by a perfect government – because there is no such thing. I can’t help but feel that there are many of us who are beginning to feel called to set aside our daily luxuries to make certain sacrifices for the future of the nation.

And it’s only through these sacrifices that justice will prevail.

May Teoh’s departure not be in vain.