Gerakan has reiterated its call to the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe the cause of death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock, in view of the latest development concerning the coroner’s inquest.

Secretary General of Women’s Wing Jayanthi Devi Balaguru said that at the current inquest, serious issues had been raised which should be addressed to while testimonies by the relevant parties were not conclusive.

“It is important that the real cause of death must be ascertained and the public must be informed,” said Jayanthi, who is also the party’s Vice Chairman of Gerakan National Legal and Human Rights Bureau, in a statement.

Noting that public confidence in the investigation and prosecution remained low and the credibility of the Malaysian criminal justice system was very much at stake, She said Gerakan was of the view that setting up a Royal Commission of Inquiry would be the way to arrest the public confidence issue.

She stressed that the truth had yet to be revealed. “Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.”

In July 2009, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had urged the government to hold an independent and comprehensive inquiry relating to Teoh’s death, to ensure a more professional and transparent investigation.

The Bar Council and Teoh’s family have also been urging the government to set up an RCI to investigate Teoh’s death.