IF it was not apparent from the outset, it must be apparent now that the “Sidek Panel”, or Royal Commission of Inquiry into Bank Negara Malaysia’s forex losses, has a result in mind – the complete demonisation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

To be exact, RCI chief Mohamed Sidek Hassan, and now, even the Umno Supreme Council, want a certain outcome from the panel’s deliberations.

So, when they don’t get that outcome, they go ballistic. In Sidek’s case, his words lay hollow to any claim that he is an honest broker.

In the case of the Umno Supreme Council, its unwillingness to accept the narrative of one of its own suggests that this collection of not-so-stellar party hacks is only interested in its version of events. It just wants to nail Dr Mahathir.

Umno Supreme Council member and government propaganda chief Mohd Puad Zarkashi said as much when he accused former BNM adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop of trying to shield Dr Mahathir from prosecution over the central bank’s forex losses.

“He took responsibility for the huge losses, but denied that all decisions regarding forex trading by the central bank in the 1990s were decided solely by him,” he said in a statement today.

“This means that there were others involved. Who is the (other) person? Did he mean BNM’s (then) governor?

“Certainly, Nor Mohamed avoided implicating the then prime minister (Dr Mahathir) and finance minister (Anwar Ibrahim).”

For Sidek, his testy exchange with Anwar yesterday speaks volumes about what he wants everyone to know – that Dr Mahathir was behind the matter and knew all along what was going on.

So, any testimony that deviates from that outcome is inconvenient.

As for Nor Mohamed, it could have been easy for him to connect the imaginary dots leading to Dr Mahathir. He would have been feted as a hero in Umno circles, possibly even given a few more plum positions.

But, the architect of the BNM losses knows that redemption of the soul is always more important that being acclaimed by humans. He is no hero.

He just understands that one day, he will have to give an account of his actions and omissions to his Maker. Saving your soul is always more important than threats or the loss of prestige.

For anyone else, though, keeping what they have and getting more would appear to be the sole reason for their existence – even at the cost of demonising anyone and everyone they can. – September 8, 2017.