In the past, a political ceramah featuring Mohamad Sabu was repleted with humour. But last night in Sungai Buloh, the Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) president flew into a rage and chucked the microphone after accusing Malaysians of cowardice.

Speaking to Malaysiakini today, the former PAS leader, popularly known as Mat Sabu, explained the reasons behind the transformation.

He said it is the people’s apathy, especially the Malays, regarding the allegations surrounding Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and 1MDB, which drove him to act in such a manner.

"(I threw the microphone) on purpose because I wanted to shock people into thinking (about the issues).

“I'm not disappointed, but I regret the public's level of awareness about corruption. It is very low, especially among Malays.

"The question of amal makruf nahi mungkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) is not in the soul of Malays, who, as Muslims, should be at the forefront (in fighting corruption).

"But that's not the case, and in the end, our society are just ‘yes men’," he said.

He then lamented that Malaysians are not like the Filipinos or Indonesians, who rose against corrupt leaders.

"Until when are we going to just talk about the greatness of Filipinos or Indonesians?

“1MDB has become a global joke. One moment (the RM2.6 billion) is gone, the next moment it's been returned, and now someone says it is an investment," he said.

The Amanah president was referring to attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali’s disclosure that RM2.03 billion of the RM2.6 billion deposited into Najib’s private bank accounts was returned to the Saudi royalty.

Last week, New York Times quoted Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir as stating that he believes the sum was an investment, and not a donation, which has been the Malaysian’s government’s official stand.

Meanwhile, Mohamad said he would maintain this 'serious' approach in his speeches, with the hope that it would inspire his audience to change their attitude towards such issues.

"I will continue enlightening the people and giving explanations. It will be more serious, but the jokes will continue," he added, with a smile.

Last night, at an event marking former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s 365 days in prison, Mohamad stunned his audience with his tirade.

Two weeks ago, the attorney-general had cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in the cases involving the RM2.6 billion and SRC International’s RM42 million.

However, Malaysiakini quoted sources familiar with the investigations that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) allegedly recommended three charges under Section 403 of the Penal Code.

The prime minister has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain, and blamed such allegations on those attempting to topple him.