Is this the new benchmark in our politics?

THE only good thing today is the Euro Cup finals. And Torres played like a true artisan with his skill, concentration and mesmerising runs. His goal was executed with a class that typifies a true professional, and Spain played with much flair that made Germany look ordinary and pedestrian.

That pulsating game aside, the last 24 hours leaves many people wondering what had hit them. News that a 23-year old aide of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had lodged a police report alleging sodomy by his boss stung Malaysians over breakfast on Sunday morning.

In fact, the SMS that have been going around on Sunday night have already made many people had a restless night and a troubled sleep.

Everyone recalled the PKR's de facto leader's history in this matter. That gave a sense of deja vu over the air as we all try to understand what really is happening. Is the whole thing political, as some had already concluded? Or is it a straight case of sexual assault?

It's best not to speculate. Let the police investigate and finish their own probe. Pre-judging the case would be unproductive and morally wrong. We've been taught to subscribe to the concept that a man is innocent until proven guilty.

That aside, many Malaysians have made their conclusions one way or another. The general question that's been asked in the last 24 hours is - what's happening to this country? Have we lost our senses? If you read the comments posted in the blogs, you can get a sense of disgust over the allegations and the turn of events that came after that.

Anwar's move to seek help from a foreign embassy sparked fresh debate and triggered more questions. Are we not safe in our country? And is security better in a foreign embassy than in our own home?

Conspriracy theories are plentiful too. Ah, this is nothing new, Anwar's supporters argued. This is another frame-up to destroy Anwar's political comeback. This is the work of Anwar's political foes, and there are plenty around, his allies shouted. Everyone's imagination is working overtime to try and figure out what really happened.

What kind of attention will we get from the international media? It's not complimentary, that much I can tell you. And Anwar's spending the night in the Turkish embassy would certainly attract plenty of attention from the diplomatic fraternity. Will this start a diplomatic row?

Internationally, the rest of the world perceive Malaysia as a country that has lost much shine in the last few years, according to a survey conducted by experts in brands management. In fact, they argued that this image and reputation has been somewhat negative in the last few years.

This latest episode will certainly not help that reputation. At a time when the country's political climate is viewed as 'uncertain,' this incident will bring us a few notches down, even as the police continue with their investigations.

If the international community were to seek some indication of the country's volatile political climate, they have been presented with a game of brinkmanship that helped raise the political stakes.

At this point in time, we must be governed by cool heads and not by angry hearts. Many of us are really worried too. Will we see a fresh round of street demonstrations calling for 'Reformasi,' Anwar's battle cry after the first time he was charged with sodomy. He may have been cleared following his appeal in the Appeals Court but this was not conclusive, leaving Anwar with a big taint on his character.

As stated earlier, fingers are being pointed. And unnecessarily so, since the police investigations have only just started. We must insist the police work day and night to unravel this yet another episode which may undermine Malaysia's credibilty further.

Coming after the March 8 general election, whose results have changed the national political landscape, this incident can potentially delivers another black eye for the country. Surely, we can't afford that.