I refer to a letter by Beng entitled Take a cue from Nik Aziz, Anwar .

It was never a question of anybody insulting a 'huge chunk of dedicated, apolitical doctors in our country' if I may quote Beng. The doctors here are very well-respected and trusted. Was Anwar not treated in Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) when he was alleged to be poisoned?

The issue is hinged on whether an individual has the right to medical treatment of his choice be him or her a felon, ex-felon or whatever. In the same breadth, I must say the concern for Anwar's dilemma is not for Anwar supporters' alone but for every caring Malaysian who believes in fair play, humanity, compassion and human rights.

Against such backdrop, Suhakam in 2000, with two of the country's finest legal brains in its team then, had unequivocally stated that there was no prohibition in the law to prevent Anwar Ibrahim from seeking treatment anywhere in the world if he opines that that will give him the best treatment outcome.

So Anwar has chosen to go for treatment to the Alphaklinik in Munich, Germany, which, I was told, is a dedicated spinal clinic. His doctor, Dr Thomas Hoogland, who is going to operate on him, has done more than 8,000 similar cases with a high degree of success.

As a medically-illiterate man on the street, I would rather choose a doctor with a 90 percent rate of success out of 8,000 cases compared to100 percent for 25 cases.

Why can't the government allow him to go for the treatment when he and his family have promised that it shall be done at their own expense? Why is it that this man, Anwar Ibrahim, has to go through so much of upheaval just to be allowed to go for the treatment of his choice, which he feels is best suited to him?

Is the government of the day - which professes to be caring and fair - still not content with the suffering that Anwar has gone through? Why does the government turn a deaf ear to the recommendations made by the Inter-Parliamentary Union , the European Union and many other human's rights organisations?

And to those Umno members, have you been sapped of all compassion that you can't at least try to persuade Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's mind that we, as Muslims, should have at least some shred of mercy and consideration for someone who is in need of help.

Is this the price Anwar has to pay for selflessly contributing to the country as a deputy prime minister at no financial gain whatsoever?