In hindsight, it's hard not to conclude that the victor in that face-off ended up being more compromised than the victim, who later emerged from prison as a hero. If indeed there is a conspiracy afoot in last weekend's accusations of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, this all-important lesson from 1998 appears not to have been learnt.

Whatever the truth behind the most recent accusations, they cannot be separated from what transpired 10 years ago. We will inevitably compare the two - looking for parallels, differences and of course clues as to how the latest scandal or frame-up (it's one or the other, depending on who you believe) will unfold.

As a result, we will be dealing with a familiar set of themes: First, the anger the majority of Malaysians feel; second, executive interference with the judiciary and the police; and third, the key personalities involved - Mr Anwar, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Most of the people I've spoken to - non-politicians - have rejected the latest accusations against the former deputy prime minister. They cannot help but see the weekend's events in the light of recent political developments and Mr Anwar's thrust for power.

For many, 1998 was a shocking breach in Malaysian political culture - something they do not wish to revisit. The black eye that Mr Anwar sustained while in police detention was something that shamed all Malaysians and increased their distrust of the police. Sadly the 2005 Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Police failed to reassure them.

Last weekend's revelations have brought back many of these memories. Though political leaders on both sides have called for calm pending a full police investigation, it must be acknowledged that the phrase 'police investigation' is in itself not a reassuring one for many.

And given the furore generated by the V.K. Lingam tapes inquiry, it is not surprising that many also feel similarly disenchanted with the courts, especially in cases with a political complexion.

However, there is a key difference between 1998 and 2008: Prime Minister Abdullah is not Dr Mahathir. Many Malaysians have mocked Mr Abdullah for his less-than stellar performance. Comparisons with his eagle-eyed predecessor have not been favourable.

Still, it seems unlikely that Mr Abdullah, who has never really treated Mr Anwar with much concern, would stoop to frame him. The Prime Minister has always behaved like a gentleman. In 2004, he accepted, very gracefully, the federal court's decision that led to Mr Anwar's early release from prison.

Mr Abdullah's conciliatory and low-key personality should mean that the latest explosive developments will have a lesser impact on the ruling coalition than the 1998 events did.

The key focus will instead be on how individuals within the security and legal apparatus deal with this case. The same will be true of Mr Najib, whose ongoing struggle to manage the fallout of the Altantuya murder trial has damaged his standing.

If the authorities handle the case poorly and end up turning Mr Anwar into a martyr again, I am willing to wager that he may well end up as Malaysia's Prime Minister. To those who advocate throwing the book at him, I would urge caution - public sympathy would be overwhelmingly in his favour.

Moreover, the ruling party's current standing among Malaysians - given the recent oil price hikes - is shaky. Their resentment, once ignited, could prove uncontrollable.

Finally, there is Mr Anwar, the man: complex, ambitious, duplicitous, mercurial, but always brilliant. It remains to be seen whether he's a tragic hero (a man fatally flawed like Macbeth or King Lear) or a Henry V, a flawed man who, upon assuming power, acts with dignity and courage. We just don't know.

Mr Anwar has the capacity for enthralling political rhetoric. He can sweep away decades of Umno 'divide-and-rule' drivel. The mere existence of the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat is testimony to his extraordinary political skills.

But behind the shimmering rhetoric is a man whose sense of his own destiny can get a little wearisome. He can be melodramatic (witness his unproven claim of death threats), self-important, and at times, unreliable - a leader whose actual record in administration was far less impressive than he claims.

But as Malaysians try to figure out what is happening, they shouldn't lose sight of one central fact - the refusal of their political elite to come to terms with shifts in political power.

Power is not God-given; it ebbs and flows. Umno's days will indeed be numbered if it doesn't learn soon to treat the Malaysian people with dignity.

Malaysians should keep in mind what the current obsession with sodomy and C4 explosives is really about: The power that corrupts, and the absolute power that corrupts absolutely.

The writer is a Malaysian columnist.