I am extremely excited about the prospect of Anwar Ibrahim's release from the prison.

I am fully aware of the possibility that this letter will be perceived by many as strange (to say the least) since it is written by a non-Malaysian.

However, after spending more than eight years in Malaysia (from 1992 to 2000), I became pretty Malaysianised and felt extremely sad and worried over the Anwar issue.

I have no intention to take sides here. As a true friend of Malaysia, I believe that the removal of Anwar and the subsequent array of events are o­ne of Malaysia's saddest moments and a genuine loss (though a temporary o­ne, I hope) for the country.

The effects of Anwar's removal are many: Malays became divided, the Malaysian political system became destabilised (even non-Malays started taking sides), the Malaysian judiciary lost its credibility overnight and Malaysia's image abroad was smeared.

Was it really necessary for Malaysia to go through such a nightmare and create such a tense political conflict during the time when it needed stability most? I truly don't think so.

I may be putting more thought o­n this issue than I should, but I could not ignore my feelings of sympathy for Malaysians. I have always admired Malaysian unity and harmony and I am praying for these values to be restored.

As for Anwar himself, he was, he is, and he will be my role model of a conscious, modern Muslim politician. I believe in his innocence and the trials he went through o­nly contributed to my initial belief.

But what Anwar needs to do first, after getting out of prison, is to publicly shake hands with Mahathir which will not o­nly help restore Malay (and to a certain degree Malaysian) unity but also be the perfect slap o­n the face of all those who currently crawl around Dr M, taking advantage of the rift between two of modern Malaysia's greatest sons.