Amanah president Mohamad Sabu says it is stupid to compare the Bersih rally to the Arab Spring.

"Saying that the Bersih rally is like the Arab Spring is an act of stupidity and pretence.

"It is an excuse created by those who do not want to join the Bersih 5 rally," he said in a statement today.

He said the opposition remained committed to democracy and fair elections and would not try to change the government in any other way.

Peaceful demonstrations have always been practised in Malaysia since before the country's independence, he said.

He cited several examples such as the students' demonstrations during the 1970s and the Baling demonstration on poverty and the falling prices of rubber.

"Generally, demonstrations in Malaysia have always happened peacefully even though there are sometimes small disturbances that end in court prosecution," he said.

Leading up to the 2008 general elections, he said the opposition and NGOs campaigned for free and fair elections, which led to the first Bersih rally in 2007.

That rally was peaceful even though some ended up being prosecuted in court including himself, he said, and that led to the other Bersih rallies.

"These rallies with the rakyat calling for fair and clean elections started a long time ago.

"It has nothing to do with the Arab Spring which happened in 2011," he said.

Separately, in a press conference today, Pakatan Harapan students' group said they would stick to their plans to mobilise for the Bersih 5 rally, even if the red shirts tried to threaten or provoke them.

"We will continue (with our plan). We will act based on what the organiser says.

"If there are any disturbances and the organiser says that the rally is over, we will follow the instructions.

"We won't react to any provocation," Amanah students' group representative Muhammad Khuzairi Mazlan told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.

They support Bersih's demands for the rally and intend to mobilise their members and students for the rally on Nov 19.

The red shirts, led by Jamal Mohd Yunus, have hounded the Bersih convoy since they started their nationwide tour on Oct 1, resulting in several physical clashes between the two groups.

The red shirts allegedly harassed the Bersih convoy vehicles as they travelled from Lumut to Teluk Intan and Jamal reportedly punched a Bersih participant when the red shirts stopped the Bersih convoy from reaching their destination in Teluk Intan on the first week.

Last weekend, a Bersih participant on a motorcycle was surrounded by the red shirts and attacked by the group.

The police have been present with the convoys and ensured that the situation remained under control.

The students' group commended the police for maintaining control over the situation and said they hoped this would continue on the day of the rally in Kuala Lumpur.

"Our country has laws, so please follow the laws," Khuzairi said.