A former aide of Anwar Ibrahim has claimed that the dismal turnout for the appeal hearing proved that even his supporters are fed-up with the opposition leader.

Anuar Shari said the handful of supporters at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya is nothing short of an embarrassment.

He pointed out that supporters should have turned up in droves to lend moral support to Anwar, who is not only de facto leader of PKR but also chief of Pakatan Rakyat.

“Looks like even his supporters are fed-up and don’t have confidence in him.

“Perhaps, they too realise the hearing is a personal problem and it is better for them to carry out their daily activities instead of wasting time and energy (to attend the hearing),” he told Umno Online.

Annuar said as the opposition’s choice for prime minister, Anwar’s trial should have attracted an overwhelming  response.

Based on the numbers, he added that the opposition’s claim that the people are with them to ensure justice is nothing but “empty rhetoric”.

“Not only the public, but even PKR members did not come (to support).

“What is more embarrassing is that even Pakatan leaders (who attended the hearing)  can be counted with our fingers,” he added.

Questioning if there is an agenda among opposition allies to shame Anwar, the former aide said this is the “real value” of the cooperation between Pakatan parties.

“We are certain the situation is a clear message to Anwar.... enough,” he added.

‘Desperate Anwar will do anything’

Meanwhile, veteran Umno leader Syed Ali Alhabshee criticised Anwar’s supporters for their behaviour with regard to the attempts to breach the police barricade outside the court building.

“It is disheartening that the opposition supporters pelted police personnel with eggs. This is stupid and bad,” he added.

The Cheras Umno division leader was also disappointed that Anwar failed to ensure that his supporters would not deliberately cause chaos.

Syed Ali called on the police to be more aggressive in dealing with such behaviour, saying that arrests should be made if the situation warranted.

Furthermore, he said Anwar is willing to do anything during his appeal proceedings since a guilty verdict would mark the end of his political career.

“People who are desperate would be willing to do anything,” he added in a blog post.

Syed Ali also said that the sodomy appeal was Anwar’s private case and did not involve the country or public.

“This is a private matter with (Mohd) Saiful (Bukhari Azlan), the duo’s personal case. It has nothing to do with the public,” he added.

Urging Anwar’s supporters “not to waste time”, the Umno leader told them to accept the court’s verdict.

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