While not entirely unexpected, the judgement of the Federal Court in upholding the conviction and sentencing of Anwar Ibrahim for corruption still pains all fair-minded Malaysians.

Those of us who may have had a glimmering hope that Chief Justice Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah will stand up to Mahathir and correct what was so clearly a travesty of justice should now abandon all hope.

With this miserable end to Anwar Ibrahim's appeal, the work of the Mahathir juggernaut in steam-rolling all opposition and all accompanying notions of truth and justice has been completed..

The muted reaction of the Malaysian public and the degrading support of the Bar Council chief are also part and parcel of Mahathir's dizzy success. Added to this, the opposition is in disarray and the voice of reformasi has been silenced.

The sad truth is that there are ultimately no miracles — in the end, the mighty and the evil win.

Can a nation really be so impoverished of leaders that it has to resort to begging a 76-year-old prime minister to continue another 15 months in office despite his 21 years in power? Isn't it Mahathir himself who has brought us to this pathetic state? After all, giants make sure that only grass grow at their feet. And the one man who might have been worthy of the challenge is languishing behind bars, a victim of executive fiat and judicial cowardice.

The fact that many nations constitutionally limit the period over which a leader can stay in power is to avoid exactly the situation that Malaysia now finds itself in — we have been so deprived of choice that we do not know what choice is any more.

All Mahathir's minions may kowtow before him and sing his praises. But those of us who understand the meaning of truth and justice will not be dissuaded from the view that this is the man who has done the most damage to Malaysian democracy. For our country's sake, let us hope that giants like Mahathir are as rare as courageous judges.