I thank Jannah for his/her comment that "there are really no proper legal arguments which could deny bail" for Anwar. Rather, as he/she says, "it is but politics...."

I knew this before I wrote my letter, just like most Malaysians have always known it privately in their hearts. But it is a point that needs to be made over and over again - in public. If Anwar is not granted bail, then it is politics and not justice.

Granting bail to Anwar at this stage is not only the proper legal thing to do, it is the humane thing to do. Hasn't Anwar suffered enough physically? We all have seen the photographs. How much more suffering will he and his family be forced to endure?

Granting bail does not mean that Anwar has proven his innocence. That is for the Federal Court to decide during the appeal process. It simply means that the government will be humane and not vindictive, and that it will treat Anwar the same as it does everyone else. It means that he can be reunited with his family, and obtain medical treatment of his own choosing.

It is an easy thing to do. When the Court meets on July 14, the government's prosecutors can simply say that they have no objection to Anwar being granted bail. They can ask for certain conditions in return, such as Anwar will not leave the country without the court's approval, he will not hold a public press conference, and so on.

Granting Anwar bail and reuniting him with his family will provide a major boost to Malaysia's international image, something that clearly is suffering since the Umno assembly, as so many Malaysians have pointed out in their letters to malaysiakini (and as so many foreign businessmen reportedly have hinted).

But the boost will come not just in the countries where the 'white Anglo-Saxons' live. Anwar is still a popular figure throughout the Arab and Islamic worlds, and all over Asia as well.

By now, my personal friendship for Anwar and his family is well-known. It is not everyday that someone you know and respect is thrown into jail and beaten nearly to death. But you don't have to know Anwar personally to do the right thing. I learned during my time as (US) ambassador that Malaysians are wonderful people, and they want to do the right thing. But I also learned that often they are afraid to speak up. We all know the reason why.

I hope that this time, more and more Malaysians will say that now is the time to "do the right thing" and release Anwar on bail. Let him be reunited with his family, get proper medical treatment, and prepare his defence for the Federal Court. That is justice, and that is the true Malaysian way.