Anwar the drama maker

Anwar Ibrahim was arrested before the 2pm deadline on 16 July. This morning on 17 July, he has been released on bail.

Of course, the people are furious about the arrest. The police explanation is not satisfactory. But this is very typical of Anwar. He wants to be arrested by the police. He wants to go to jail. He wants to the police to manhandle him. Remember, Anwar is a drama king.

The police however, shouldn't nab him outside his house because it's not yet 2pm. It is very common for people to detour somewhere else en route to his original destination. The police should have at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

Anwar was arrested at 1pm outside his house at Bukit Segambut which is less than 20km away from the police HQ. The deadline was 2pm. The police HQ is accessible via Jalan Kuching from Bukit Segambut. Even with a bad jam, presuming Anwar went home to quickly pick up something, he can still make it to the police HQ on time.

The police may seem to be acting in a rush to arrest him before the deadline. The fact that they are already on standby near his house means they've suspected that Anwar might head home instead of going straight to the police HQ from Putrajaya after giving statement to ACA. It was a risky but necessary decision to arrest Anwar. Again, remember, Anwar is a drama king.

You see, Anwar is playing a game with all of us. When he can immediately come forward to give his statement about the alleged sodomy to facilitate investigation, he chose not to do it. He decided to politicise it instead. Anwar is not cooperating at all. A police report has been lodged against him and he wants to play politics. This delays the process of investigation. And this case will never be closed if he's playing hard to get.

Yes, the police action was an uncalled for. It was a risky step because the police will be heavily criticised by the public and human rights bodies. But they need Anwar to help close the case.

Now, do you want a case to linger around without being settled?