I refer to the Malaysiakini report Dr M's dare - set up three royal panels .

Dr Mahathir Mohamad probably invented the art of 'attack is the best form of defence’! Realising that he is more vulnerable than ever - largely a result of his own making arising from his unceasing malicious sniping at Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - he has now embarked upon that familiar strategy of screaming 'look there' to deflect public attention away from himself over the findings of the Lingam tape royal commission of inquiry.

I think it was Ronald Reagan who was accused of being a 'Teflon-coated president' as no charge could be made to stick on him. Mahathir may well be the leading candidate for the sobriquet of 'Teflon-coated ex-prime minister.'

But alas, after all, what's sauce for the goose, must also be sauce for the gander.

Mahathir rails against being hung out to dry by the commission’s 'possibilities' which implicate him in the debacle of the integrity of the judiciary having been compromised and of the judicial appointment process having been brought into disrepute during his tenure as prime minister of Malaysia between 1981 and 2003.

He is fortunate!

It is on the very same grounds of 'possibilities' that Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and hundreds of others were arrested in 1987 under 'Ops Lallang' and imprisoned under the ISA without being charged of any crime or being brought to trial.

They did not have their day in court. In 20 years, we have neither heard Mahathir expressing a single word of regret for that draconian action during his prime ministership nor apologise for this sad onslaught on human rights. Let's not even go down the road of monetary compensation for those ex-detainees.

The Lingam tape royal commission has published its verdict in that appropriate action be taken on the 'possibility' of Mahathir's involvement in the scandal. Mahathir may yet have his day in court.

But he should be grateful to God that at least he is not languishing in the filth of Kamunting, while pitiful spouses, children, relatives and friends trudge there daily to give moral support to those ISA detainees who await the 'possibility' that they may have a day in court.

Is it not a shocking indictment of our leadership, past and present, that it now sees royal commissions as the only way to secure justice? They themselves seem to have absolutely no faith in our legal system or the present judiciary.

Perhaps, a day or two behind the bars of Kamunting will give Mahathir an inkling as to how the Hindraf 5 and other detainees feel about being 'arrested, tried, judged, sentenced and hung' by the whims and fancies of one man. A taste of one’s own medicine has often proven to be of great cathartic value to 'benevolent dictators'.

Feeling the heat are we now, dear ex-PM?