Certainly, former prime minister and the second 'Public Enemy No 1' in Malaysia's political history - the first being communist leader Chin Peng - Anwar Ibrahim has reasons for joy and relief.

Love him or loath him, Anwar, is not only still relatively young but also a charismatic leader with a mass following, especially among Muslims who form the majority in multi-ethnic and multi-religious Malaysia.

At 57, the former protege-turned-nemesis of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, seems to have undergone yet another political metamorphosis:

He has gone from a fallen political elite, and inspired his supporters as an icon of defiance whilst behind bars, to a free man surrounded by only the hardcore amongst his followers.

This never-say-die following, mostly from lower and middle-income groups, has stood by Anwar in the past six years, while he was dismissed summarily from the second highest office, arrested under the ISA, beaten in the lockup, condemned in the mainstream media as an 'American agent', 'Muslim fanatic' and 'traitor of the race' simultaneously, and then charged, convicted and jailed as a 'sodomist'.

In the Malaysian version of the 'Great Cultural Revolution', many of Anwar's elite friends and former party comrades turned, almost overnight, against him and joined in the chorus of political, as well as personal attacks, against the broken man.

So, the bond between Anwar and his supporters, among the people in the streets seems to be powerfully emotive. It has both religious as well as class-conscious elements.