Nik Hassan is right in reflecting that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, as a newly appointed prime minister, has yet to establish himself both at home and abroad ( Anwar should know better ). The prime minister has made a good start by promising to make every effort to clamp down on corruption, but he will only be able to keep this promise if he is firmly established in his position.

I'm sure that Abdullah is savvy enough to realise that, if he is to enjoy full recognition of his position both at home or abroad, one of the major outstanding problems he must resolve is the Anwar issue. He must re-establish the professionalism of the government and also restore confidence in the independence the Malaysian judiciary and the calibre of its officials.

Apart from BN diehards and a minority of Malaysians who, after five years, are still in denial, everyone knows that Anwar was framed by those who feared the ethical and service-oriented style of government promoted by him, and that the 'due process of law' to which he was subjected was a sham which has deeply shamed our country, blackening its name around the globe and utterly destroying the credibility of our judiciary.

These two major flaws widespread corruption, and the damaged reputation of the judiciary have contributed in no small way to the stagnation of our economy. Many of the excellent proposals now being made by Abdullah have been made before, by Anwar. Maybe, for the good of the nation they should work together.

Contrary to what Nik Hassan thinks, I believe that our prime minister and the government would actually be strengthened by settling the Anwar problem in a way which restores proper dignity to all. I pray that Abdullah will have the moral strength and courage to do this and thereby set Malaysia back on track for a vibrant future.