Electoral reform coalition Bersih today announced the fifth instalment of its rally, this time to push for further action on the 1MDB case.

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said not protesting was not an option, following the recent US Department of Justice's civil suit to seize more than US$1 billion in assets linked to 1MDB.

"We will be organising a Bersih 5 rally to pressure for greater accountability and action.

"The date and details of the Bersih 5 rally will be announced in due course," Maria told a press conference at the movement's office in Petaling Jaya today.

She said Bersih's main priority at the moment would be to raise public awareness on the 1MDB issue and mobilise support for the rally.

"We must raise the awareness and anger so that people will understand why we need to have Bersih 5," she said.

On whether the rally would remain to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Maria insisted that its formal form and venue have yet to be decided.

"We can hold protests in any area... But bear in mind the city is still the city.

"The form and venue is not our priority at the present moment," she added.

Although there had been meetings with the steering committee and endorsing NGOs, Malaysiakini understands that Bersih did not finalise any details of Bersih 5.0 rally, such as venue, date and form of protest.

The only consensus, as revealed in today's press conference, was to organise the Bersih 5.0 rally.

When contacted by Malaysiakini later, Maria said it was "too early" to confirm the details at the moment.

"We don't have the actual date and venue as yet," she explained.

Focus on 'MO1'

Asked whether Bersih would repeat its past calls for Prime Minister Najib Razak's resignation, Maria said: "At the moment we are focusing on 'Malaysian Official 1' (MO1). If you read the DOJ suit, you will have a good idea of the person."

The electoral group is also calling for this MO1 to be identified, investigated and charged based on claims in the DOJ suit, she added.

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said recently the police would not allow Bersih 5 to take place if its aim was to topple Najib.

Khalid also said that the newly-gazetted National Security Council Act 2016 would not be used against Bersih 5, as all rallies remain governed by the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

Roadshows to rural areas

Leading up to Bersih 5, Bersih steering committee member Hishamuddin Rais said they would be organising a series of activities and roadshows, with particular focus on the rural areas.

"We will try to explain to people in the rural areas, the meaning and significance of 1MDB.

"What is 1MDB and who is 'Malaysian Official 1'. That is what we must explain in detail," Hishamuddin said.

Bersih would also support the planned #TangkapMalaysianOfficial1 rally in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 27, as recently announced by a coalition of youth and student groups, he added.

The DOJ suit did not name Najib but made 36 references to "Malaysian Official 1", who his critics claimed could only refer to the prime minister.

However, Najib and his supporters insist that no assumptions should be made on the matter.