It's a hunch which I'm hoping will turn out to be correct, that the developments we see today are a start to the first of many phases that will eventually bring closure to a tumultuous period in Malaysian history and from then on, better times for the people.I have a feeling that we will be able to enjoy more peace and quiet from now on.

It is crucial too that the government does better in crisis management because from commentaries in cyberspace and letters to the mainstream media it's obvious that the people are clamouring for a more decisive and strong leadership. A leadership that through it's statements and actions can give the people a peace of mind, that they are being led by people who know how to manage politics, the economy and provide convincing solutions to problems. Act with firmness and fairness, apply the rule of law equally to everyone, discard any signs of bias especially due to political differences.

But in listening to the people and in trying to do what the people want, the government must also remember that the public is not always right and trying to meet every demand by the public is not necessarily what a responsible government must do religiously.

Having read some of the commentaries relating to the politics of Anwar Ibrahim, I sometimes wonder if some people really know what is it they want the government to do and how they expect the police to enforce the law.

On the one hand you have a situation where people say the police must be the first to respect the rule of law and on the other you have those, including some amongst the former, who question if certain police actions are necessary although they are in accordance with the law. Treat someone special and they cry foul but apply the rules and they say the police should be more tactful.

That's why I always maintain that governance is never easy, although it appears like a piece of cake from the outside. Just ask the opposition politicians who are now administering Penang, Perak, Kedah and Selangor. As they say, criticising is always easy.

Many commentators have pointed to the fact that Anwar was freed by the Federal Court in 2004 on a sodomy charge to insinuate that the case was politically motivated and that the charge was trumped up. Yes, it is generally agreed that both the police and the prosecution did a bad job but read the judgement in full and you will understand the 2-1 court decision better.

One online commentary today quoted unnamed Barisan Nasional politicians as saying that it would have been better if the report by Mohd. Saiful alleging sodomy by Anwar had not been made because they thought that Anwar was not making much progress in his attempts to convince Barisan MPs to join his Pakatan Rakyat to allow him to one day become prime minister and that cracks were beginning to appear in the opposition coalition. In short, the allegation is not beneficial to the Barisan.

We don't know if indeed the writer spoke to Barisan politicians but again this in a way is suggesting that politics is involved. But this is not about politics. Many of my friends and I don't think so because if the government was going to find a way to try and put Anwar in jail as a way to kill off his political ambitions for good, it would have looked for another offence to charge him with because sodomy, unlike conventional rape, is very, very tough to prove.

But as a citizen Saiful has every right to lodge a report to the police, who then have to investigate. Charge someone with weak or made up evidence and the court will let the accused ago. That doesn't do the government any good, so to suggest that the government would do this just to fix someone is to me a preposterous suggestion.

A photo of Anwar's arrest outside his home in Segambut today showed at least one cop with a gun and wearing a balaclava. It may appear wrong to some people for the police to do it this way but there were security issues involved. A police method such as this one is not peculiar to the Malaysian police. It is a standard method with police forces all over the world. Go back to that day in the year 2000 in Miami when the police moved into the house of Cuban immigrants to take way six-year-old Elian Gonzalez to be sent back to Cuba to be reunited with his father. What were the cops wearing and carrying as a means of protection?