EVERY day for the past nine years, Soh Cher Wei has prayed for one thing: finding out the truth about the death of her husband, Teoh Beng Hock, at the MACC office in Selangor.

Yesterday, the final steps towards some closure became a reality when the Pakatan Harapan government said it would reopen investigations into his controversial death.  

“I am happy to see this happen. Thank you,” the 38-year-old primary school teacher told The Malaysian Insight.

It wasn’t just Soh who waited for yesterday’s announcement. 

Teoh’s family – his elderly parents, siblings, and son, Teoh Er Jia – have always sought clarity on his death.

On July 16, 2009, Teoh, 30, was found dead on the fifth floor of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office in Selangor after being questioned for 11 hours as a witness in a case involving the alleged misappropriation of allocations by several state assemblymen.

He was the political secretary to former Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah.

“There were simply too many unanswered questions. I understand that even when the truth is out, it may not change anything. It doesn’t matter if it’s murder or not, we all just want answers,” Soh told The Malaysian Insight in her hometown of Ayer Hitam, Johor.

“This is especially so for Beng Hock’s parents, no one can imagine their pain.”

There was some justice when on May 12, 2012 Putrajaya and the MACC admitted negligence in the death of Teoh, and were directed by the court to pay his family RM600,000 in damages and RM60,000 in costs.

Teoh’s family lawyer at that time, Gobind Singh Deo, said the family wanted police to conduct further investigations into the death and charge those responsible.

But nothing happened until yesterday.

After his death, Soh went back to her hometown as she was pregnant then.

Soh has kept quiet over the years.

“It’s because I don’t know what to say, I really don’t have much thoughts,” said Soh, adding that she now stays with her son and her parents in Ayer Hitam.

“Maybe it’s because I try my best not to talk about it.”

But she never gave up hope.

On May 9, PH captured Putrajaya and a new dawn was born for Soh.

Teoh’s friends in DAP campaigned hard for justice now that they were in government.

Beng Hock’s son, Er Jia, turns 9 this year, a year two pupil in a Chinese primary school.

Soh’s face always lights up when she talks about her son.

“He’s a good child, very caring, just like his dad.

“You know, Beng Hock was a filial son, he liked being home, used to go home straight when he had off days. Even when he was really busy, he would call back every now and then.”

As Er Jia grew, he started asking about his father. Soh told him that his father was a man fired with passion and that he was a journalist.

The boy asked, “how did father die?” She told him, “Of illness, like your grandmother.”

She felt it was too soon for him to learn about the harshness and the darkness of life.

“Er Jia is nine. I can’t explain too much about what happened when he’s at this age. I also don’t think he would understand. I’ll wait till he’s older, when he is able to understand that would be the right time to explain things.” – June 21, 2018.