CYBERJAYA: Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was left red-faced today when his Vision 2020 Forum was marred by a low turnout.
The forum, which was scheduled to start at 2pm, was delayed for more than an hour as organisers waited for more people to arrive.
Only about 300 guests attended the event, which was held at Asteria Grand Ballroom in i-Tech Tower here. Organisers had anticipated a turnout of at least 1,000 people.
The ballroom was initially full of chairs but the secretariat proceeded to remove some of the seats after realising that the venue was half empty.
Dr Mahathir, who is also Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) chairman, was held at the VIP room for half an hour before he was ushered into the ballroom at 3.15pm.
As soon as the forum started, the emcee asked the secretariat to keep the entrance open to allow a few latecomers to enter.
Moderated by PPBM Youth chief Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, the town hall session was aimed at discussing various topics, as well as to get the public’s opinion on Pakatan Harapan’s policies should it take over the government.
The panelists included Dr Mahathir, Sigur Ros founder Mohamad Azmadi Fadzil and Hartabumi founder Radzi Tajuddin.
The forum saw the participation of community leaders, targeted groups and non-governmental organisations. The event ended at 5pm.