Several leaders have downplayed or criticised former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's surprise visit to Bersih 4.

Explanations have come from Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who said Mahathir's mere six-minutes was not enough for Bersih 4 to claim support while Communication and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said this was a reversal of stance by the former premier.

But the most bizarre claim came from MyKMU.net , a portal that has vociferously defended Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Quoting sources, it claimed that Mahathir was "cheated" by Malaysiakini into going to Bersih 4.

It claimed Mahathir decided to visit after having read Malaysiakini 's report that 100,000 had turned up at Bersih 4.

"Tun had wanted to show his support to Bersih 4 participants after reading Malaysiakini 's report that more than 100,000 people were present at Dataran Merdeka to bring down Najib.

"The former prime minister was disappointed when he found only 3,000 people at Dataran Merdeka when he walked along the Kuala Lumpur City Hall building at 7.20pm," it said.

The report went on to claim that Mahathir was prepared to deliver a speech to the participants but aborted the plan due to the "poor" turnout.

It also claimed that only 200 people surrounded Mahathir as the Bersih participants too were supposedly unhappy at the former premier's presence.

The portal claimed Bersih 4 only attracted 10,000-15,000 people and was only left with 3,000 in the evening.

Bersih 4 organisers yesterday estimated a total of 200,000 at its peak at around 4pm.

Malaysiakini , based on estimates by its reporters on the ground and aerial footage, placed the figure over 100,000 at 4pm with thousands still staying behind in the evening.

KL police claimed there were 25,000 participants at Bersih 4, which called for Najib's resignation and reforms.