ACCORDING to reports in the local and foreign media, former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk
                       Seri Anwar Ibrahim is now relying solely on a diet of biscuits to survive as he no longer wants the
                       food provided for him by the Prisons Department.

                       Anwar claims that he cannot trust the prison authorities as they may want to poison him.

                       He has obviously chosen to ignore doctors' advice given to him upon his discharge from Hospital
                       Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia to ensure a balanced diet.

                       Why Anwar has chosen to do this is anybody's guess. I, however, feel that this is merely another
                       ploy to gain public attention after his claims of arsenic poisoning failed miserably.

                       Unable to stand the thought of not being in the limelight, Anwar, of course, has to think of
                       something else which will keep the local and foreign media interested in him.

                       He has chosen, by his own accord, to eat only biscuits and I do not see how anybody else can be
                       responsible if Anwar's health were to deteriorate as a consequence of his own actions.

                       His paranoia is something that Anwar has to bear himself.

                       He cannot later blame the authorities for his physical condition if he chooses to continue being
                       paranoid about the food in prison and goes against the advice of his trusted doctors from
                       HUKM.

                       I wonder whether Anwar has also taken to drinking only bottled water? After all, if he claims the
                       prison authorities can poison his food, what is to stop them from poisoning his water supply as
                       well?

                       And since we're on the subject of water, does Anwar trust the prison water supply enough to
                       have his shower?

                       Maybe, the shower water is laced with chemicals that could cause him some form of poisoning.
                       One can never be too careful.

                       Anwar may be able to fool his family, his lawyers and his followers. But he cannot think that he
                       can fool the majority of Malaysians.

                       I think most of us are wise and rational enough to see that Anwar's actions are merely those of a
                       desperate man.

                       Mohd Asraaf Mohd Sharif
                       Kuala Lumpur