COMMENT | The investigations have begun and are proceeding at breakneck speed. Arrests are following almost as quickly, while the headlines are becoming increasingly earth-shattering. But no one seems to be answering a simple question: Why now?

The cabinet of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s backdoor government decided as early as August 2020 to establish a royal commission of inquiry into Tabung Haji’s affairs. The commission was established the following July.

The report was presented to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s cabinet in December 2022, but was withheld to prevent public alarm.

So, for over 40 months, those who allegedly dipped their fingers in the till, those who paid themselves excessive bonuses, those who approved the investments – the beneficiaries of the creative accounting practices were allowed to roam free and enjoy the fruits of their ill-gotten gains.

Defending the delay, Anwar said the government did not release the report earlier because doing so at the time could have triggered a crisis of confidence that might have led to the institution’s collapse.

But for former...