It was an unusually festive night outside the Sungai Buloh Prison entrance as Anwar Ibrahim's supporters gathered in solidarity with the PKR de facto leader, on the 100th night of his jailing.

Almost 300 leaders and supporters sang and danced in between chants of "Reformasi!", the PKR and Anwar's motto.

Music and poetry filled the air amid candlelight as underground folk band the bangsART played their medley of street protest songs.

The crowd, a multiracial mélange of various age groups, moved their heads and thumped their feet in rhythm.

National laureate A Samad Said pulled at heartstrings through his poem ‘Malam Anwar’ (Anwar's Night), waxing poetically about the 67-year-old former deputy prime minister.

"I knew Anwar since he was a student. I have wrote at least two poems about him.

"People talk about him now being thin. He may be thin but I hope his spirit is fat," he said.

Anwar's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah also recited poetry by famed Indonesian poet WS Rendra.

She said Anwar asked her to thank Permatang Pauh voters for allowing PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail continue to pick up the Reformasi mantel.

The Permatang Pauh seat was declared vacant when Anwar’s pardon application was rejected, and his wife, Wan Azizah, was sworn in as the new MP on Monday after winning the by-election.

"We will not give up. This is our fight," Nurul Izzah said, echoing the earlier speeches tonight.

Her mother, the newly-minted Opposition Leader was not present tonight, but her sisters Nurul Nuha and Nurul Ilham commanded centre stage with heart-rending speeches.

Although speaking to the crowd, Nurul Nuha spoke as if directly to her father, vowing that they will not cry in the face of this adversity, although she was at several instances of her speech at the verge of tears.

"Don't get exhausted […] we are not crying. Don't worry, we will be strong. Don't despair, we will keep fighting, dad," she said as the crowd fell suddenly silent.

PKR leaders took turn to give speeches on top of a pick-up truck, chanting choruses of solidarity and promising Anwar that the people will continue to flood the streets to demand his release.

"The prison gates will be opened not by the judge, but by Malaysian people […] only with the tide of a million of Malaysians will it be opened […] not only to free Anwar but to free each and every Malaysian," PKR vice-president Tian Chua said.

Fellow vice-president Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin roused the crowd, urging the people to defeat the BN government.

"Mampus BN! (Die BN!) Barua Barisan Nasional! (BN are lackeys!)

"There is a new leader in BN and his name is Mahathir. I heard he wants to be the opposition leader. But both he and Najib are bandits!" he said, cheered by the crowd.

He was refrring to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who is now trying to unseat Najib.

A few Pakatan big guns were spotted. Among those in the crowd were Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Ipoh Timur MP Thomas Su, both from DAP, and PSM’s Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar.

Related stories

100th day of Anwar's jailing, vigil planned

Much ado about unity gov't for Pakatan MP

PKR: Anwar did not back unity gov't