BEFORE Datuk Seri Shukri Abdull's press conference this morning, social media was awash with supposed reasons for his abrupt departure from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
One of them was this: he was asked to leave as he had refused to push for the prosecution of a former high-ranking government official. Ditto leaders of a political party.
Tonnes of people looking for an answer to his sudden exit must have thought the allegation was genuine. I myself heard the claim repeated in media circles, and wondered if there was a grain of truth to it.
I have also been told multiple times over the years that Shukri is straight as an arrow. Some of those who had said this believed the sordid pre-press conference stories about his departure from the graft-busting agency.
His explanation at the press conference should put paid to the claims.
Of course, this would depend on whether people actually listened to what he said, as opposed to what their hearts were squealing.
Reading the social media comments during the live-streaming of the PC gives me the impression that some folks are either wearing blinkers or taking a leave of absence from thinking entirely.
Everybody's a genius in hindsight. Still, it must be said that this unhappy episode may have been avoided if explanations had come out immediately, not days later.
An abrupt ending in national narratives like this almost always leaves a bad taste in the mouth.