Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak thanked all who attended the ‘Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu’, saying the red shirts have done very well to gather peacefully and without any provocation.

Najib said there was no sighting of racist signboards or provocative acts such as stomping on opposition leaders’ pictures.

"The police told me that the rally showed that Malays respected the law and convened peacefully. Congratulations to everyone who attended the 16 September rally," he told 15,000 silat (Malay martial arts) practitioners who convened at the National Silat Merdeka Gathering at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, tonight.

"Are there any banners promoting hatred to other races? Are there any pictures of opposition leaders that were stomped? We are not like the opposition when they do street rallies. Malays know the country's laws," he added.

Najib did not mention the standoff between the red shirts and the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) on Petaling Street at the same gathering.

The FRU had used water cannon to disperse the crowd; two police officers and a protester were also injured in the commotion.

Bersih 'has gone overboard'

In his fiery 20-minute speech, Najib also demonised election watchdog Bersih 2.0, referring to their four rallies which he said was a 'slap' on the Malay face.

"They slapped us once, twice, three times, that's fine. But when they slap us for the fourth time, they have gone overboard.

"Malays too have the rights. Malays too can show that we can stand up when our dignity is torn apart and our leaders mocked and shamed," he said.

At the event, Najib also congratulated all the silat practitioners, saying they are among his supporters who are willing to fight to the death in upholding his government.

He also announced that silat is the official martial art of the country, and promised that the practice would be brought to all government agencies and universities.

"We are willing to die, not as suicide bombers. We are willing to die because this is the legitimate government to uphold this country. We believe in this government," he said to the cheering crowd.