MALAYSIAN GOVT CONSIDERING NAMES FOR ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- The government is going through the names of
people who can be appointed to the proposed Royal Commission of Inquiry to probe
the investigative procedures of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC),
Prime Minister Najib Razak said Wednesday.

"It is in the process. We are going through some names. I cannot seek an
audience yet with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin (the
Malaysian King) as His Majesty is abroad," he said.

The names of the members of the royal commission of inquiry would be
announced after they had been presented to Tuanku Mizan, he told reporters after
a reception to celebrate the victory of the national football squad in the AFF
Suzuki Cup tournament last month.

The prime minister had announced last week that a royal commission of
inquiry would be set up to look into MACC's investigative procedures and probe
if the rights of the late political aide Teoh Beng Hock had been violated during
his interrogation by the MACC.

Asked about the Interlok novel, to be used as a literature book for the Form
Five Bahasa Malaysia subject, said to have contents offensive to the Indian
community, Najib said the matter was discussed at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting
but no decision was taken.

He said prior discussions should be held to calm the situation.

"We ask the Indian community to appoint several people to have a dialogue
with the Education Ministry so that we can determine how to calm the situation,"
he said.

Last Saturday, a group of Indians set fire to copies of the novel and there
has been pressure from some quarters to withdraw the novel from being used as a
literature book.
-- BERNAMA


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