The person on trial in a wood-panelled Kuala Lumpur courtroom yesterday was Mr Anwar Ibrahim, the sacked Malaysian deputy prime minister. But to many people both at home and abroad, it was Malaysia which stood in the dock.
Mr Anwar is accused of sodomy and corruption in Malaysia's most sensational and politically-charged trial ever.
But his apparent ill-treatment in prison and the use of police force to disperse demonstrations by his supporters have raised questions about the rule of the Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and his paternalistic style of government.
The opening day of the trial, which is expected to last six months, was marked by controversy when Judge Augustine Paul refused observer status to several local and foreign monitors, though he said anyone was welcome if they could get into the relatively small courtroom.
These included the Malaysian Bar Council, Amnesty International, Justice International, Law Asia, Human Rights Watch, Jakarta Legal Aid Bureau, UN rapporteur Mr Param Cumaraswamy and lawyers representing potential witnesses.
"Is it right that the Bar Council with 70,000 members is not allowed to go in?" council secretary Mr Mah Weng Kwai asked reporters angrily.
Despite only five months experience on the High Court bench, the judge was picked to preside over a trial which could test public confidence in the government and the judiciary. He has already had to reverse his decision made at a pre-trial hearing that proceedings would be conducted in English to accommodate foreign journalists.
The Malaysian chief justice told him to follow the law and hold the trial in Malay. Yesterday both English and Malay were used by lawyers in opening arguments.
Mr Anwar, who was once designated by Dr Mahathir as his successor, is expected to spend until June in the court defending his reputation.
But even among Malaysians who doubt his innocence, there is evident concern that the trial is first and foremost a blow against the reforms which the popular Mr Anwar had come to epitomise. Protests have continued despite the fact that, unlike neighbouring Indonesia, Malaysia has been largely cushioned from the Asian economic crisis.
"It's going to be a real test, not only of the judiciary but of public confidence in the government as well," said opposition leader, Mr Lim Kit Siang. Mr Anwar was dismissed and eventually arrested in September after he found himself at odds with Dr Mahathir's policy of protectionism. At the time he was also threatening to expose corruption and cronyism at high levels.
Even if he is acquitted, Mr Anwar's ordeal may not be over. Malaysia's Attorney-General, Mr Mohtar Abdullah, said that he would face more sex charges after his trial ended.
During an afternoon break in court Mr Anwar criticised Mr Mohtar. "The AG should be professional. I can't expect a fair trial if the AG comes out with an outburst," he said. Mr Mohtar had said that Mr Anwar and a friend, Mr S. Nallakaruppan, who is currently in police custody, would face additional charges under the Penal Code and the Women and Girls Protection Act of 1973.
Mr Anwar, who has denied all the 10 sex and corruption charges, also attacked Dr Mahathir for building himself an opulent new residence.
The first day of the trial was tough going, he said, "but what can we do?" Several hundred police with automatic rifles and batons ringed the colonial-era courthouse in the heart of the capital, but 500 people who gathered at a distance did not stage any demonstrations.
In rejecting the requests for observer status in the morning session, the judge said: "This is a big insult to the court. It gives the impression that the court may not be dispensing justice."
Before the trial began, Mr Anwar embraced his wife, Ms Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who was in court with his two eldest daughters and his parents.
He no longer shows any signs of the black eye which was visible when he appeared in court in September, or of a neck brace he had worn because of the aggravation of an old injury.
Initially, the court will hear four of the five corruption charges.