The judgment last year by the pious Federal Court judge Abdul Hamid Mohamed who said his judgments would be based purely on the law and that Allah was overseeing the trial, was perverse to put it mildly.

He acquitted Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising Azizan because of inconsistencies, but then went to accuse him of indulging in homosexual activities!

"We find evidence to confirm that the appellants (Anwar and Sukma) were involved in homosexual activities and we are more inclined to believe that the alleged incident at Tivolli Villa did happen"

The question we should be then asking is why was Anwar acquitted?

You can't be innocent of the charges and be guilty at the same time, or can you?

To my mind, the judiciary came up with a 'compromise' to please Umno, never mind the perversion of justice. The 'acquittal' of Anwar was really to save Umno and to restore the judiciary's tattered reputation, which was viewed with odium in Malaysia and the world over.

In was not done in the interest of justice. Since the judicial crisis in 1988, the Malaysian judiciary has been viewed by many as a running dog of Umno.

The outcome of the impending Anwar vs Mahathir suit will depend on the balance of power within Umno vis a vis the Pak Lah faction and the Mahathir faction.

Pak Lah, it is time for you to show courage and instruct your servants, the judiciary, to do what is fair and just, without fear or favour.

The issues at stake goes beyond Anwar or Mahathir. An independent judiciary is the backbone of a civilised democracy.