COMMENT | Sept 20, 1998: Anwar Ibrahim will never forget the date. Sacked as deputy prime minister, he was dragged from his Damansara home by balaclava-clad commandos.

Nine days later, he reappeared with a black eye - clenched fist raised - a photograph that became the icon, galvanising reformasi, the symbol of resistance against BN/Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s iron grip.

Fast forward 27 years. Anwar is now the prime minister. The balaclavas are back. But this time, the “victim” was no politician or terrorist - he was Albert Tei, a businessperson turned informer who had been charged with giving bribes to politicians for licences.

Video clips show MACC operatives in full tactical gear storming Tei’s Puchong home, cuffing him, and bundling him into an unmarked sedan. The optics were unmistakable...