I echo the sentiments expressed by those who have petitioned Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to release former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim. While saudara Anwar has my sympathies, he must also realise that he was part of the administration that wrecked the Malaysian judiciary when the case of former chief justice Salleh Abas came up. It is the case of spineless men who find their spine only when they become the victims.

And the very men who occupy today's high offices were men who had sometime earlier longed for promotions and titles. The PM himself would realise this. Until then, he will heap praise on a judiciary that has lost credibility.

Politics determines the outcome in such cases, not the law or what is right. These very men who use the ' dacing ' (scale) as their emblem do not understand what balance means. So long as power determines what is right, morality and values will always take a second place. It had nothing to do with whether the leader is an ulama or the son of an alim .

We must see our political leaders for what they are and not have altruistic views about them. Very few political leaders have had both the courage and the inner strength to match their convictions to the real decisions they have to make. It also remains that there is high probability that Anwar would not have been any different, had the shoes been on the other feet.

Ultimately, it is a question of political culture established in our nation. This culture nurtures present leaders and also future leaders. If you breach this culture, you are out on a limb.

One hopes that Abdullah, whose name means the servant of God, will breach this culture and establish a norm by which politics remains politics and not a vehicle that corrupts our judicial and financial system.

Does he have the strength of character to do what is right by his former colleague? He cannot postpone this issue. The way he handles this would outline his moral, religious and leadership skills. The nation's embarrassment must end. Saudara Anwar, for all his failings, does need a second chance.