The much anticipated Sept 16 has come and gone uneventfully. This was the date set by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to topple the present government with defections from Barisan Nasional.

He claims that the political coup is still on but has refused to divulge the names of the defectors due to security reasons.

Malaysiakini conducted a street poll to see what the people thought about the issue.

voxpop september 16 anwar govt 170908 muhammad abu bakar Muhammad Abu Bakar, a 46-year-old artist, dismissed the takeover plan as nothing more than a flight of fantasy.

"Anwar is a liar. He has been telling everyone he’s got the list (of names) of the defectors that would join Pakatan (Rakyat), but it’s all rumours."

He also took the politician to task for being 'dishonest' with the people.

"Anwar is a good man, but not good enough to make him a leader as he is not honest. He is only a mat jenin (dreamer) desperate to become prime minister," he added.

The same sentiment was also echoed by Zaiti Arif who saw Anwar as "a man without principles".

"When he was in Umno, he supported the Malays, but now he is creating friction among Malaysians. He is a man without principles. I do not trust Anwar," said the 40-year-old salesperson.

She also blamed the opposition leader for the 'instability in the country'.

"If the nation is in a state of chaos, the opposition would be blamed because they caused this (defection) issue in the first place," she said.

Despite the harsh criticisms, there were also those who still supported the opposition regardless of the Sept 16 debacle.

voxpop september 16 anwar govt 170908 gurcharanlal "Although the new government was supposed to take place on Sept 16, I understand that it would take time for him to settle things," said 61-year-old former businessman B Gucharanlal.

"Anwar has the ability to become the next prime minister. He has the power to convince people."

He said Anwar 'has more experience' than Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi even though he thought the latter was an 'honest man'.

"Although I support Anwar, I also think Pak Lah is a nice, honest and simple man but Anwar has more experience and he knows what he is doing... Abdullah is just slow at administration," he added.

A customer service banker who requested anonymity also echoed the same, saying that the delay of forming a new government was not an issue, but would be fine as long as it takes place.

"Everyone was looking forward to a new government on Sept 16, including me. Despite all that, I am sure he has his own reasons for the delay.

"The delay was unavoidable but it would be unfair to him if we start jumping to conclusions that a new government would not take place. Think about it though, the government has also done the same thing by not keeping their promises."

Below are more responses:

James Tay, 29, Mobile phone retailer

voxpop september 16 anwar govt 170908 james tay Forming a new government is 50-50 for me. This whole thing is confusing. I do not think there will be a new government formed anytime soon.

Anwar himself had been claiming that there would be Sept 16, but he keeps delaying the date (to form a new government). People would definitely lose confidence.

I can still trust BN, but at the same time, I am open for options. Why not have a new government? Everyone deserves a chance.

About Anwar’s promises for example, reducing the fuel price once the new government is formed, I would take that as good news but at the same time, I would doubt it because it would usually be a long process to do so. It could not be done overnight.

As of Abdullah, he is okay and he does his job. And I think he tries to do his best.

Nurhidayah Abdullah, 42, housewife (who hails from Terengganu)

When Anwar was a leader and subsequently sacked and put under ISA, we had thrown our support at him because we sympathised with him. That is why the opposition won big in Terengganu during 1999 general election, when reformasi was overwhelming.

Now we can see his true colours. He is twisting and turning on the sodomy allegation against him and now he is conspiring with non-Muslims parties. Now how could he fight for Islam if he’s doing such a thing?

Anwar is only playing with the people's feelings. All he wants is glamour. This is all part of his political game to confuse the rakyat.

Syuhaimi Safuan and Murni Anuar, 24, Bar Council employees

voxpop september 16 anwar govt 170908 syuhaimi safuan and murni omar Syuhaimi: I am hoping for a new government to be formed.

Murni Anuar : About Anwar's refusal to reveal the Barisan MPs names, it is more like to protect them and it is one of the political strategies by Anwar.

Some people might have started having doubts on Anwar about his flip-flops but he has his own way of answering things and he always comes up with good arguments to counter the attacks thrown at him.

Meanwhile, Abdullah is a good man, but not good enough to make him a leader.

Chee Vooi How, 20, engineering student

The current government is being unfair towards the rakyat. They only prioritise the bumiputera especially when it comes to education quota, the bumiputera usually would easily get into universities although their grades are lower than other races especially Chinese.

But if Anwar who has promised to reform the laws for example the New Economic Policy to be abolished, then that would be good news. And if the new government does not take place, I am sure the supporters would be disappointed.

Whatever it is, if there was a new government, what we would like to have are job opportunities so that Malaysians would not have to go abroad to get jobs.