A 92-year-old former prime minister is now leading the opposition to challenge the BN/Umno-led government. This is how pathetic this country has become, nothing more and nothing less.

No one is saying Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a saint when he was in power. No one is saying there were no bad decisions made during his time which cost this country.

So what exactly would a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on forex losses in Bank Negara Malaysia do to Mahathir, really? Make him less popular, dent his credibility or tone down his attack on BN/Umno?

Would the RCI help Malaysia recover its losses more than a decade ago? If so, how?

To me, the RCI would probably achieve none of the above except to further embolden Mahathir and the opposition coalition.

Mistakes and malfeasance committed in the past, no matter how heinous, cannot justify bigger mistakes repeated presently or in the future. Is this the message the proposed RCI is trying to convey?

In fact, the proposed RCI has confirmed Mahathir’s de facto leadership within the opposition coalition, at least for now. It signifies his real threat to BN/Umno.

Think about it: Who would want to bother with a 92-year-old “has been” if he really is that useless? Who would really bother with his “political ambition” of wanting to make a political comeback? Who would really bother with his “jealousy” or “interfering attitude”?

I think we have to come up with a better reason.

The reality is, Mahathir is able to resonate with the opposition. The people can relate to him in what he is trying to do at this ripe old age, his past mistakes and abuses notwithstanding.

The reality is the ruling parties fear him. He is able to convey and penetrate messages to previously unreachable targets.

The RCI on forex losses is to derail him, but I doubt it will make much of a difference. Whether Mahathir succeeds or not will depend on factors far beyond the RCI on forex losses.

I believe most of us regard the nation’s current problems as more urgent and protracted than forex losses more than a decade ago.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

With a firm belief in freedom of expression and without prejudice, FMT tries its best to share reliable content from third parties. Such articles are strictly the writer’s (or organisation’s) personal opinion. FMT does not necessarily endorse the views or opinions given by any third party content provider.