Sidek Hassan needs to read the signs, and go

The Malaysian Insight The Malaysian Insight Updated 7 years ago · Published on 20 Jun 2018 7:00AM · 9 Comments

SOMETIMES, all you need to do is read the signs.

You don’t need anything in black and white or messages conveyed through the grapevine.

Sportsmen ‎call time when their legs go. Politicians call time when their voters tell them to go. And those appointed to corporate boards and plum positions depart the scene quietly when their patrons are shown the door.

So, the best advice for Petronas chairman Sidek Hassan is to ‎read the signs. 

He has yet to tender his resignation from the national petroleum company for reasons best known to himself. Perhaps, he is waiting for a nudge from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Perhaps he even believes that he does not fall into the category of heads of government agencies who crossed the governance red line by campaigning for Najib Razak and Barisan Nasional. 

‎The former chief secretary should disabuse himself of any such notion. He is in a category of disrepute all by himself. 

There are many senior civil servants and corporate bosses who slavishly served Najib without even stopping to ask if what they were doing was proper.

And there is ‎Sidek Hassan.

In the eyes of the Pakatan Harapan government, he was a key player in a sham of a royal commission of inquiry convened with the sole purpose of scoring political points and hurting Dr Mahathir’s image.

The forex scandal at Bank Negara happened decades ago and despite years of repeated calls from the opposition to uncover what really happened, there was no response from BN until 2017.

Najib needed to kill off Dr Mahathir who had become a thorn in his side. He needed to hurt the opposition leader, who had chiselled away at his reputation by training his guns on the 1MDB scandal.

So, Najib and his operatives convened an RCI on the forex losses and worked out the script of the inquiry even before it began.

The outcome was that Dr Mahathir would be blamed for the billions in losses. Once the script was decided on, the Najib team put in place a team to carry out the hatchet job.

They needed a respectable name to head the RCI and cover the stench of the sham it was.

The offer was made to Sidek and he agreed.

So, the former head of the civil service became a willing player and collaborator in this stitch-up.

He could have said no. Or he could have ensured that the best principles of criminal law underpinned the inquiry proceedings. Sidek did neither.

Instead, the inquiry became a place where there was no place for concepts of beyond reasonable doubt, corroboration of evidence of presumption of innocence.

At the conclusion of the show inquiry, criminal offences were laid at the feet of Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim, who was the finance minister when some of the forex losses were incurred.

Since capturing Putrajaya, the Pakatan Harapan government  has made it clear that all political appointees to government agencies will have to resign. The Mahathir administration also does not want to deal with anyone who compromised principles of integrity and governance during the Najib years.

Can’t understand what Sidek Hassan is waiting for. – June 20, 2018.

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Comments

  • Shameless people don't know what shame is.

    Posted 7 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply

  • I believe Mr. Sidek Hassan is actually an excellent civil servant, a corporate leader and even a person himself. In a normal civil service, I am sure he would have performed outstandingly and brilliant. BUT THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WITH CORRUPTION - it makes people not who they really are - it corrupts even fine people, good people. He could have been very good and brilliant BUT fact is its these times that test where we are different, whether we truly deserve to be admire and stand above the crowd and HE FAILED. He simply must be made part of the lesson.

    Posted 7 years ago by Bigjoe Lam · Reply

  • Just sack him......he has no shame plus I'm not sure how much contribution he does as Petronas chairman on the day to day running of the company? He's just warming his chair.....have some dignity and leave......!

    Posted 7 years ago by Crishan Veera · Reply

  • Hard for a mortal not to be baited by the huge pile of Dedak placed Infront of his house.Respect integrity professionalism can all be discarded into trash bins.But are are still around alot of honest dedicated professionals who will not be swayed from the principle with the fear of God guiding them

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Thian Siong · Reply

  • So, the best advice for Petronas chairman Sidek Hassan is to ‎read the signs. He know ......like he did DIRTY WORK IN THE RCI ther might be some DIRTY WORK HE MIGHT HAVE DONE IN PETRONAS. HOW TO RESIGN .........WANT TO TALK TERMS WITH TUN DR. MAHATHIR BEFORE DEPARTURE.

    Posted 7 years ago by Mohanarajan murugeson · Reply

  • Sidek Hassan should quit honourably and gracefully. Why is he still clinging to his position as Petronas Chairman? He has been a Pak Turut all the while and with regime change he should tender his resignation at once. The lucrative position means a lot to him for his daily survival?

    Posted 7 years ago by Peter Johnson · Reply

    • The pay and perks are too good. LoL.

      Posted 7 years ago by Henry Mancini Jr · Reply

  • Charge him in abetting the other crimes and hang him high togather with the other rogues on the public lamp post. No mercy and unforgivable. Mother country is crying out for justice.!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lets do it.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Send MACC to investigate Petronas and its awarding of contracts....

    Posted 7 years ago by Ramamurthi ram · Reply