Comparisons have been made between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's speech at the United Nations General Assembly and former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad five years ago, with many pointing to the size of the audience as evidence of the international community's interest.
According to Malaysia Now, several video clips and photographs have gone viral since last night, depicting an almost empty auditorium as Anwar addressed the UN for the first time since taking office last year.
In one video, Mahathir was seen addressing a considerably larger group of diplomats and representatives in the same setting.
Condor Hero tweeted, "The last time Tun M spoke at the UN assembly, it was a full house," referring to Mahathir's speech in September 2018. "PMX only spoke for 15 minutes to a nearly empty hall!" Nobody cares about who Madani is!"
Anwar mentioned his Malaysia Madani motto in his address.
During the live telecast of Anwar's 15-minute speech, checks revealed a mostly empty auditorium with only a smattering of delegates, including a group of Malaysian ministers who accompanied the prime minister on the trip.
One analyst recalled how Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters used to criticize previous leaders for speaking to empty chairs during the UN speech, which is considered a highlight of any prime minister's international spotlight.
"I recall PH supporters condemning, vilifying, and making jokes about previous PMs' UNGA speeches, from the language used to the attendance." Now? It's only fair."
Mahathir had addressed the UN multiple times, and he was one of the few Muslim leaders at the time who would take on major nations as well as criticize the world organization over veto rights.
"The great democrats are always talking about the rule of law." They are, however, picky. Friends can breach any law and get away with it. Thus, Israel can break all of the world's international laws and standards and still be backed and defended," Mahathir stated in his final UN speech in 2019.
Meanwhile, Anwar's speech last night ignited a heated debate about his performance, with many pointing to the empty seats and others saying they were not shocked by another "boring" speech.
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