The upcoming Himpunan Merah rally will feature some 40 percent Chinese Malaysian participation, pledge rally organiser Jamal Mohd Yunus.

The Umno Sungai Besar division leader conceded that the group’s previous rally in September last year attracted a Malay-only crowd, but said this issue has been addressed.

“The difference with the rally this time around is that we have an understanding among Malays, Chinese, and Indians, and this time we will come together, unlike before...

“I have discussed this for nearly two weeks, so there won’t be any problems and I am confident that if the rally is to go ahead, 40 percent of the participants would be Chinese.

“We have discussed; we have prepared. We are serious in this matter and not just fooling around,” he told reporters today.

As of noon today, he claimed, some 58,000 people have pledged support to the Himpunan Merah movement, along with nearly 600 NGOs nationwide.

He added that 50,000 Himpunan Merah T-shirts have already been printed, 5,000 of which will be distributed today at RM10 each. A nationwide roadshow will also be held to promote its cause.

He was speaking at the press conference outside the Putra World Trade Centre, after launching the 'Himpunan Merah 2.0' rally together with some 400 red-clad supporters.

Jamal maintained his aim of drawing 300,000 participants to his ‘Red Shirt’ rally, which is meant as a counter-demonstration to the Bersih 5 rally. A 40 percent Chinese participation would mean that 120,000 of targeted 300,000 Red Shirts would be ethnic Chinese.

The Bersih 5 rally is to pressure the government to act on the 1MDB scandal, in light of the allegations made in the US Department of Justice’s court filings last month. The date and venue of the rally have yet to be decided.

Jamal vowed that the group would meet the Bersih 5 rally at the same time and place.

Bersih's shadow

Himpunan Merah's movements would mimic the Bersih 5 steering committee’s actions, he said.

If the Bersih 5 rally is called off, the Himpunan Merah rally would likewise be cancelled. If Bersih sends a notification to the police on its intention to hold a rally, then Himpunan Merah would send a notification about its own rally.

“For us it is simple: If they do, we do. If they follow the law, we will follow the law. If they follow the laws of the jungle, we too would follow the laws of the jungle…

“On whether it is illegal or not, there are rules on how a peaceful assembly should be held. If they follow the rules, we would follow the rules. If they don’t follow the rules, we too (would follow suit). What’s wrong with that?” he said.

Asked whether he would accept Gerakan Youth’s offer to help find a stadium to avoid holding street demonstrations, Jamal said that depends on whether Bersih accepts the offer, too.

Bersih’s chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah had previously turned down Gerakan Youth’s offer.

Amid shouts of ‘Hidup Merah!’ and ‘Hidup Datuk Jamal!’ from his supporters, Jamal said there should be no compromise with Bersih, which he said is shallow-minded and has brought nothing but hardship in its previous rallies.

He said the movement should realise the only proper way to depose a democratically-elected government is through elections, not by instigating people to take to the streets.