When Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad accused his ex-deputy Anwar Ibrahim of his homosexual tendencies, he received the benefit of the doubt from many Malaysians as we were made to believe that Mahathir had in fact in his possession evidence that clearly showed Anwar Ibrahim's guilt.

We all eagerly awaited through the first trial and although the first trial did not bring to surface any material evidence that we could satisfy ourselves with, we once again gave Anwar's accusers the benefit of the doubt because we satisfied ourselves that the nature of the first charge did not require showing the guilt of Anwar's homosexual tendencies. We, therefore waited for the second trial where it was necessary for his accusers to bring forward evidence of homosexual tendencies.

The government had all the opportunity to produce in court the evidence that Mahathir claimed to possess, but we all know what happened - there was absolutely none at all. Yet, he was found guilty on the strength of the testimony of one man who could not put a time frame of three months on the first time he was purportedly sodomised by none other than the education minister, at the time, who also happened to be the deputy prime minister!

Now Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, in defending his actions to send four of the ISA detainees to Kamunting, says that "I signed the detention order as I was satisfied with the police report."

He goes on to say, "In my opinion, there is enough evidence to detain them under the Act."

He expects us to buy that claim of his. Gerakan Wanita chief Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen, like some other leaders in BN, comforts herself by choosing to believe that "police must have very strong reasons for sending the four to Kamunting. Otherwise they would have been released as in the case of Raja Petra Raja Kamaruddin."

From everything that I have read from letters from ex- and current journalists and a sitting executive of The Star I am inclined to believe that this statement of hers is included in the press to help guide us, the readers, into that kind of thinking, even though it shows her level of intelligence.

It is obvious Abdullah admits to signing the detention order on the strength of the police report alone. It is obvious he has not seen the purported evidence.

After the inability of the police to determine how and who caused Anwar Ibrahim's infamous black eye and other bodily injuries for almost half a year when it happened right there in front of them, how seriously can anyone take a police report that has taken only two months to prepare? Will that report stand to scrutiny?

Maybe Scotland Yard whose help the Royal Malaysian Police have solicited can be asked to subject this report to audit. After all I am certain the police should not be afraid if they are really impartial in their work.