I agree wholeheartedly with Kim Quek's letter . It is truly sad times for Malaysia. The ruling elite has said time and again that Anwar is no longer an issue and yet they are more than rattled at the prospect of his release this April. Here is a man who since that black day in Malaysian history in 1998 was thrown into prison, viciously beaten by the then police chief and, given questionable trials.

Today, this man is semi-paralysed and is o­n painkillers, and can o­nly rise from bed with the help of prison wardens. He lives in a cell smaller then the toilets you and I have, and gets o­ne hour a day to see the sky and breathe the fresh air. This is the current state of the country's former deputy prime minister.

Would anyone with an ounce of conscience, compassion and conviction put Anwar through this o­ne day longer than he should? Would torturing a man in such a way justify whatever reasons the ruling party needs to exist? Pardon my ignorance, but I would like to ask the acting PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who studied Islam - whether this is justifiable in the eyes of the religion?

Being separated from o­ne's family and left to suffer in prison is not anyone's wish and I plead to his ex-colleagues in Umno to stand up against injustice and be men of integrity and principles. Speak out and be heard.

I am as distant to Anwar as oil is to water in belief and ethnicity. I am a Chinese and a born-again Christian. The o­nly thing common is that we are Malaysians and love the country. What say Umno, who according to Azimi Daim, is the protector of Malay rights and masters of this land? This is no way to treat a fellow Malay.