As when someone dearly beloved is on their death bed, you prepare for the inevitable but the moment still brings you grief and pain. You tell yourself that it has all been written in God's way.

The decision by the Federal Court to deny bail to former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim comes as no surprise, but still saddens and angers - it tells us a lot about our own human failings.

It is revealing that the judges dare not give grounds of judgment for fear of their safety. No doubt that, when it is eventually released, it will be an excellent academic treatise setting the bar for our legal fraternity. One can only conclude that the learned justices have studied their law together.

I am reminded of the television series 'The Fear Factor' where contestants are made to confront their darkest fears. In the continued incarceration of Anwar, the main players, who now include Pak Lah, are still not ready to face their fears.

For one man to instil so much fear in us - and he is not even a terrorist - would be a great joke if not for the suffering that he and his family have to endure.

These people should ask themselves what is their fear factor, and perhaps more importantly why is the threshold so low?