The irony appeared lost on the artiste, performing in a concert on Langkawi Island. At the main table was the guest of honor, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, and the singer has chosen a patriotic pop song, "Standing in the Eyes of the World". Mahathir smiled manfully and clapped half-heartedly, the irony of it all perhaps dawning on him.
Mahathir's unruffled demeanor was probably meant to show that he was unaffected by the storm of criticism that greeted the nine-year jail term slapped on his former deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, whom the High Court found guilty of sodomy on August 8.
When the song ended, the singer went to Mahathir's table, handed him the mike and asked him to sing a line. Probably wishing he was elsewhere, Mahathir mumbled "Standing in the eyes of the world" for the cameras.
Those words must have brought back haunting memories. Two years ago, on September 21, 1998, the song was made famous at the glittering closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. But what was to have been the crowning moment of Mahathir's tenure instead turned out to be one of his darkest hours. A day earlier, masked police hauled Anwar away from his home after he had led tens of thousands of Malaysians into the heart of the capital in the biggest demonstration the city has seen. That night, the then chief of police, Rahim Noor, pounded a blindfolded and bound Anwar unconscious. The Home (interior) Minister at the time: Mahathir.
Then, as now, Malaysia was standing in the eyes of the world for all the wrong reasons. Then, as now, Mahathir put on a brave front: "Business as usual," he seemed to say.
This time around, international condemnation has flowed thick and fast. The European Union, Canada, the United States and Australia have expressed concern. Although Anwar's friends in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have generally remained silent, stinging editorials have appeared in the Philippines Daily Inquirer, the Nation in Bangkok, and the Jakarta Post.
Mahathir appears increasing isolated and badly in need of friends. Along comes one - former Singapore prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, who arrived on Monday for a four-day working visit. Despite the love-hate relationship with Singapore and differences on a number of thorny issues, Mahathir has always had an ideological ally in Lee. Both come from the old school of thought that places political stability ahead of almost everything else. "Asian values," so to speak.
At one time, Mahathir could have counted on President Suharto as a friendly neighbor. But with Suharto now hauled up to answer for his rule, and with Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines treading the uncertain path toward democracy, Mahathir appears to be clinging to a comfort zone that is rapidly diminishing.
One analyst says he feels Lee's visit will send a subtle message to Malaysia's sizeable non-Muslim community, especially the Chinese. It will be seen as an endorsement of Mahathir's policies against what some see as rising "Islamic fundamentalism".
Regarding the opposition to Mahathir as lslamic-based, however, is too simplistic. The "reformasi" movement has drawn many younger non-Muslims who feel outraged at the erosion of fundamental rights, although many other non-Muslims worry about the policies of the Islamic Party (PAS), which among the four parties in the opposition front made the biggest gains in last November's general election.
Many Muslims and former members of the United Malays National Organization (Umno) also oppose Mahathir's administration but are at the same time uncomfortable with PAS policies. They have found refuge in the National Justice Party headed by Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and to a lesser extent, the tiny left-leaning Malaysian People's Party.
Anwar may be in jail, but the real losers are ordinary Malaysians. His trial exposed the unsavory side of almost every independent institution of government, leaving them in tatters - a sad testimony to 20 years of authoritarian rule. Whether the opposition can ride on the wave of anger remains to be seen but so far it has maintained the pressure.
On Friday, some 300 Malaysians flocked to the National Mosque to protest against Anwar's conviction. On Saturday, some 120 people chanting "reformasi" gathered outside the Foreign Ministry in Kuala Lumpur to present a memorandum to the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, urging it to speak out against the conviction and lengthy prison sentence. On Sunday, some 2,000 Anwar supporters attempted to visit him in prison as a belated celebration of his birthday.
The scale of the street protests may have dwindled - partly due to restrictions curbing the freedom of assembly - but the anger appears to be seething below the surface especially among the country's ethnic Malays, who make up more than half the population.
Opposition to Mahathir will also depend on the economy, which, for now, appears to be growing apace. Growth this year is expected to be around 7.5 percent, up from 5.4 percent last year. Foreign direct investment, however, has slumped in a country that relies heavily on it to spur growth. Many investors have turned to North Asia and those still interested in Southeast Asia frown at the slow pace of reforms in corporate governance in Malaysia.
The Anwar conviction has temporarily removed him from sight but it has also left the 74-year-old Mahathir isolated in the international community, a sorry anachronism in a world moving toward democracy. Anwar may be behind bars now, but his shadow will loom large in Malaysian politics for a long time to come. As long as he remains imprisoned, Malaysia and Mahathir will continue to stand uncomfortably in the eyes of the world.