OH MY GOODNESS. OLD HABITS DIE HARD.

By Somebody Somewhere

We live in an era where conspiracy theory thrives. So this is my take: this could also be Brother Anwar Bin Ibrahim's strategy to create a sense of deep and terrible crisis in the country. yes, he is not a sodomite and I don't believe he is either and he knew that people do not believe it either. So create one so he could play victim.

He is caught in the middle. he does not actually have the 'numbers' to form the government and no way he could face the public and have an honest and serious debate with Shabery Cheek on the fuel price. so rather than having to face questions from the public when the time comes to deliver on his promise which would surely undermine his credibility, create a crisis now and make himself the victim: that he is no longer safe and he needs the safe sanctuary of a foreign embassy.

Give me a break! As Bill Clinton once angrily said about Obama's campaign: this is the biggest fairy tale I have ever heard. Badawi, despite his weakness, is not Mugabe. In fact, we are witnessing unprecedented level of freedom and openness in the country. This is probably just Anwar's way to maintain public distrust towards the government. Try to paint Malaysia as another Zimbabwe where politicians get assasination threat and hoorah - all the public and international attention will be on him.

I believe no member of the government would want to repeat 1998. In fact, i don't think anybody in the current government believe that he was a sodomite when he had to face the allegation in 1998. 1998 was someone else's doing.

The government knows that this kind of allegation will not stand in the court of public opinion. They know that the public will hate them more if they do this. Yes, Anwar is a political threat to them, but not threatening enough for them to lose power on 16 September. At the time when the public is beginning to question the capability and on the promise of the PR in the 5 state governments, this kind of crisis is the last thing a BN government would want.

Anwar has endured worse treatment in 1998 and he can afford to create such sense of treatment - something which the public will find it impossible to believe - today. It is partly the sense of bad treatment that earns him public admiration and pity. So I won't rule out the possibility that this is Anwar's own doing.

Don't be naive and take everything at face value. What Anwar needs is continuous attention. You have seen how he plays it well. Withholding evidence, tapes, pictures just so that he could release at the right time so that this country is in perpetual crisis. Anwar is a master politician who knows how to play his card well!