COMMENT In the early 1980s, Mat Sabu’s speeches were not like how they are today, full of humour and laughter.

Thirty-five years ago, his speeches were fiery, like the one he made on Tuesday night in front of the Sungai Buloh Prison, in front of a crowd who gathered to mark the first anniversary of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's jailing.

Mat Sabu, whose real name is Mohamad Sabu, spoke for less than five minutes.

The Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president started his speech by apologising because all his four children are either students or had graduated, but none of them are like their counterparts in Indonesia.

He also apologised because opposition supporters – which include farmers and fishermen – did not camp out on the streets for three weeks like their peers in Thailand, even though they were 'oppressed'.

The start of his speech was full of interesting political rhetoric. But three minutes later, what he did was simply unforgettable...