COMMENT Politics is all about perception. And in politics, bashing someone only serves to increase sympathy for him or her, more so when it is done in cases where the accused has continuously maintained innocence and when there is reasonable doubt.

Thus, the perception that the accused is a victim.

On Tuesday, former deputy prime minister and parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to five years in prison on a sodomy charge, which he claims to be a political conspiracy to topple him.

Despite having been incarcerated before - what with being beaten, shamed and jailed over abuse of power - when the expected happened, the sentencing was still hard to bear, even for those who did not know him personally.

A journalist who has been following his case said the fact that Anwar has a wife and children who live very much like average Malaysians - even when they had been regarded as the DPM's family - allows many people to be able to relate to him as the next man-on-the-street.

A long-time Umno member noted that even some party-diehards couldn’t keep themselves from tearing up when they watched Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and his grandchildren holding on to him, forced to be parted from them once again.

This time, however, Anwar was more prepared to be incarcerated. Older and wiser, he went with style, lambasting the judges in a damning prepared speech which the judges could not take, as they were seen leaving the court while he thundered from the dock.

His followers were also much more calm and collected. They were not accepting of the decision, but they seemed to know that they had more things to do now than spend time in a police lock-up for unruly behaviour.

Anwar’s political dead end?

Some Anwar supporters - who had been in primary school during the Reformasi days - complained as to the lack of massive protests this time around, although Pakatan Rakyat leaders have advised all supporters to remain calm.

Several media have written him off as having lost it all, and that this was Anwar's political ‘dead end’ as he would only come out of jail at 72, an age which is deemed too old by many to hanker for the PM's job.

One forgets that South Africa's Nelson Mandela had become the country’s first black president at the age of 76; Mandela may have been greyed and old, but he still became the president after 'a long walk to freedom'.

Closer to home, one also forgets that Dr Mahathir Mohamad - having had 22 years in power - has yet to retire from politics. Despite two prime ministers after his ‘retirement’, Mahathir still seems to be very much in control through his blogs, outbursts and factions in Umno and the government. And Mahathir is 89 years old this year.

Unlike Umno, which has a dearth of leader potentials, as can be seen by how long Mahathir held on to the helm. Not to mention how difficult it was for Mahathir to even find a replacement, where until today he has been openly critical of Najib Abdul Razak for the way he runs the country.

This has appeared to become worse, for in recent days, Mahathir seems to have almost made a comeback politically, with more media publicity.

In contrast, Anwar's PKR has quite a group of capable young people who have kept the party going during the time that he was in jail.

Despite Wan Azizah being very much a motherly figure - rather than a leader of the party - during Anwar’s time in jail from 1999 to 2004, young PKR leaders such as Azmin Ali, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and a few others kept the opposition spirit very much alive.

Thus, it may be a mistake to say that Anwar’s jailing this time around will be the end of his political presence. For his jailing - with a judgment full of holes - only seems to serve to further Anwar's political career, especially when it made hardened opposition politicians tear up in public.

Then again, it all depends on what happens to him in prison.

ZAKIAH KOYA is a member of Team Malaysiakini.