Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said Umno members are free to join the Sept 16 red-shirts rally but reminded them that they must follow the law.

He said there are existing laws which will be enforced by the police with regard to the rally to counter Bersih 4.

"No, (I won't stop Umno members from joining the rally).

"It is a free country, as long as they observe the law. No one is above the law, including Umno members. They are not above the law," said Najib, who is also Umno president.

"We have existing laws, we have the police, as far as the cabinet is concerned whoever wants to have any kind of rally have to follow the rule of law (and) whatever instructions given by the police," he told a press conference after the Umno supreme council meeting today.

The red-shirts rally was mooted after certain quarters branded Bersih 4 as a 'Chinese rally' given the dismal turnout of Malays.

The call for a Malay pride' rally rang out when photographs emerged of Bersih participants stomping on images of Najib and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Backed by Malay NGOs

Najib also denied that Umno is the organiser for the rally although he admitted that there are NGOs affiliated with party leaders who feel compelled to go to the rally.

"Umno is not involved with the event's sponsor but I admit there are Umno leaders, through NGOs, that feel they would be involved in this people's rally," he said.

The rally, reportedly planned to be held at the Bukit Bintang and Petaling Street areas, is meant to counter the Bersih 4 rally held on Aug 29 and 30.

Certain quarters have labelled the Bersih 4 rally, which among others called for Najib's resignation, a Chinese-dominated rally and an insult to the Malay community.

The Sept 16 rally is backed by 500 Malay NGOs to showcase Malay unity and defend the community's dignity, Malaysian NGOs Coalition chairperson Jamal Mohd Yunos had told Utusan Malaysia .

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