It has been three long weeks since Anwar Ibrahim has been out. He has gone for his back operation, which we are told is one big success. He is no longer wheelchair bound, he has had foreign leaders, ex-leaders and even Umno leaders calling on him.

He has been interviewed, reinterviewed and even triple interviewed by all media which count. He has been barred from a party which he has not even applied to join or rejoin. And at this party's annual general assembly last week, he was vilified as a being 'treacherous' and a 'traitor'.

The role of a free Anwar has been on the minds of many. That is, will he live up to all things he had spoken of, or as some may say, 'promised' like justice for all, national unity and reconciliation, civilisational dialogue of the local variety, doing away with the oppressive acts presently threatening local civil society and many more.

We have much to thank the Anwar saga or episode for opening up our eyes for we can now forge ahead better and fight for that which have been denied us up till now. It may be better if we have a dedicated leader to lead us in our fight but what is even more important is that we be willing to fight for ourselves and truly want what civil society can and has to give us.

Time is of the essence, for already many of the reforms that we are looking for have been hijacked and their watered-down forms been implemented. Indeed, some are saying that there is no need for further reforms.

These reforms have to be 're-hijacked' and those in power must be made to understand that half-measures are poor replacements. Let's have the genuine and 'ori' reforms.

So in the final analysis it is what we can do for ourselves in terms of reformasi, justice, unity, judicial independence and change for a better Malaysia. We must all be involved and it is for us all to carry on the torch and struggle of reformasi.