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KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 – Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have signalled at a gathering last night that Teoh Beng Hock’s death will spearhead a nationwide campaign geared at countering Barisan Nasional’s (BN) incessant attack against the opposition alliance.

Its leaders, galvanised by Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, accused the anti-graft body, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), of being an out-and-out tool of the Umno-led BN federal government.

Whether PR is crying foul play over Teoh’s death is unclear but the opposition pact have so far made subtle hints that the investigations on PR lawmakers, which they claim is a form of harassment, is somehow connected to the incident.

“This is all an effort to weaken Pakatan,” Anwar told a press conference held at PAS headquarters here earlier.

Among those present are the DAP’s Lim Kit Siang, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and several other PR leaders in what appears to be a show of renewed solidarity following a recent spate of spats.

PR also reiterated their call for a royal panel to be set up to probe the cause of Teoh’s death, remaining firm that it will not swallow government explanations on the matter.

The nationwide campaign, which starts with the funeral of Teoh on Monday, will be the platform to gather support and bring pressure to bear on the BN government.

In addition to seizing the moral high ground of public outrage, the same campaign will be used to regain ground lost recently due to its internal squabbles.

PR has also been struggling to cope with Anwar’s Sodomy II trial and the on-going MACC investigations – often finding itself on the defensive against external rivals.

Anwar said last night that various measures have been introduced to consolidate the coalition, including the formation of a PR secretariat to streamline common PR policies at federal and state level.

The secretariat will be represented by leadership from the three main wings of the parties.

“The secretariat also needs to make sure that all policy issues are discussed beforehand and any statements that need to be made should show that we all are united,” Anwar said in an apparent admission that the coalition lacked cohesiveness in the past.