The microscopic spinal endoscopy surgery which Anwar Ibrahim requires is not available here. What will be done in AlphaKlinik in Munich, Germany cannot be plagiarised here yet, sorry to say.

Not even if the specialists from Munich are brought in to perform the operations at the Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL). And the local open surgery as offered by the Malaysian government? Rudimentary at best.

According to Dr J Veight's letter , spinal endoscopic surgery still new in this country. 'So for all intents and purposes, spinal endoscopy is not yet available to an acceptable level of safety and expertise in Malaysia,' he says.

Do we want Anwar, or for that matter, anyone else, to be a guinea pig?

Let's not forget that part of Anwar's health problem now can be attributed to the government's reluctance in hospitalising him but forcing him to commute between the Sungai Buluh prison and HKL each time he required medical treatment. (See how BN tactics at works here? Play by the rules or played into their hands?)

Please note that I am not suggesting that HKL doctors are assassins. I, too, acknowledge that it would be against the best interests of the Malaysian government if anything bad were to happen to Anwar.

But the fact is, who can guarantee that the anesthesised patient will come out alive as he should?

History serves as a reflection on life. It prevents us from falling into the same trap twice. We have been told that Anwar's security would be assured in the most secure place in Malaysia, Bukit Aman, where men in uniform protect all citizens. We know what happened to Anwar there, don't we?.

And would it really be against the best interests of the Malaysian government if anything bad were to happen to Anwar on the local operating table? Had the ruling party thought of their best interests when they sacked and imprisoned Anwar in the first place? How much trouble they got themselves into. And still they insist on blundering and bungling ahead.

And certainly, they don't wish Anwar to fly out of their 'jurisdiction' where he would be easily accessible to foreign journalists who cannot be controlled by the Umno/BN government.

But the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) themselves have said that Anwar should be allowed his choice of treatment either abroad or locally. They said they found no prohibitions in law for Anwar to be sent abroad for medical treatment.

Was Suhakam encouraging Anwar to break any rule in making this finding? Is Suhakam's finding against the law? Are we advocating Anwar be given the treatment of his choice because he is an ex-Umno minister? Did Suhakam stipulate that only convicted ex-Umno ministers can go for treatment overseas?

It's argued that Anwar cannot be compared with first lady Endon Mahmud who is getting the best treatment for breast cancer in the USA. But let's make a guess. Would Abdullah Ahamd Badawi allow Endon overseas treatment if she were (hypothetically) imprisoned for some reason or other?

For all intents and purposes, Anwar's predicament is a political issue that requires a political solution. Discussing it from medical or legal perspectives won't help. BN has tried to solve the Anwar issue legally. They had their hands (and international standing) severely burnt.

Will they do it again?