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By Mihar Dias Copyright (C) September 2023
Well, it seems Anwar Ibrahim's grand performance at the UN turned into a real thriller, didn't it?
His speech left the hall emptier than a discount store on Black Friday. I use Black Friday freely here to refer to the "day after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, which has also traditionally been a holiday itself for many employees. It is typically a day full of special shopping deals and big discounts and is considered the beginning of the holiday shopping season."
Even Malaysia's own Kedah Chief Minister couldn't resist taking a jab at Anwar's charisma deficit.
According to Sanusi, the silence in the hall when Anwar delivered his speech was quite embarrassing. “People compare the 9th Prime Minister’s (PM9) speech (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) with the PM10’s speech at the UNGA. What is the difference? The difference is that when PM9 spoke, there was a crowd, but when PM10 spoke, there was no one. There was only the Malaysian delegation.
“Why is there no one? Because even outsiders know that he is a liar. As Malaysians, we should be ashamed because when he speaks at the UNGA, people don’t want to listen,” he added.
The real question here is, did Anwar's speech really lack substance, or did he just have the misfortune of following Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who had people fleeing the hall faster than a fire drill?
"According to online videos, the majority of the attendees and members walked out during Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu speech as a sign of protest.
Anwar’s turn was a few rounds later on, which could’ve explained the emptiness of the hall."
But it's strange that the delegates did not return to the hall to listen to Anwar after Netanyahu's speech, considering that Anwar's turn was a few rounds later on.
So, maybe Anwar's problem isn't his speaking skills but the bad luck of sharing a stage with the world's most disliked leaders.
Take it whichever way you want, but the fact remains the hall of the United Nations General Assembly was almost empty when Anwar delivered his speech.
Should we blame him for that?
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