The Bersih 5 rally will go on as scheduled on Nov 19, despite Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announcing that Bersih is not a legal body as it is not registered with the Registrar of Societies.

Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said today there is no need for a coalition of non-governmental organisations to be registered with ROS.

"There are a lot of other NGOs not registered (but allowed to function). Hence, we will continue to have the Bersih 5 rally on Nov 19. This is also despite the Kuala Lumpur City Hall not allowing us to use Dataran Merdeka and Jalan Raja.

"City Hall should stop using the reason that Dataran Merdeka is private property, as it belongs to the people and the annual Merdeka Parade is held there. It belongs to the people," she said.

Maria pointed to the July 1, 2012, decision of the High Court in Kuala Lumpur, which quashed the ban on Bersih issued by the Home Ministry, which was then headed by Hishammuddin Hussein, who declared it an illegal organisation.

Justice Rohana Yusof in her decision ruled that Hishammuddin's declaration was "tainted with irrationality" as there were negotiations going on between Bersih and the government.

The government did not appeal Justice Rohana Yusof's decision on Bersih and hence the decision stands, Maria added.

Furthermore, Maria's deputy, Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari, said Bersih managed to meet formally with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on a previous occasion, therefore how could the coalition be declared to be banned.

Maria and Shahrul Aman were met on the sidelines of Adam Adli Abd Halim's sedition case at the Court of Appeal today.

Zahid, who is also home minister, declared last Thursday that Bersih and the red shirts are not registered under the ROS and therefore they are banned from holding gatherings.

Zahid said ROS director-general Mohammad Razin Abdullah felt that the two groups should be registered under the Societies Act in order to be gazetted as societies.

He said that since the Bersih and the red-shirts groups were not registered under the Societies Act, their activities were banned.

"As was decided by me in the Dewan Rakyat, Bersih 5 and the red-shirts are disallowed from holding any gatherings.

"This is the official order from the Home Ministry and enforcement will be undertaken by the police," Zahid told reporters after launching the Home Ministry Innovation Day celebration in Putrajaya on Nov 3.