Shouts of "hancur Bersih! (destroy Bersih)" filled the air as scores of red-shirts lit up the usually uneventful curb at the intersection of Jalan Maarof and Jalan Bangsar today, like glowing embers before the fire.

While the crowd numbered less than 100, it was a show of strength by Sungai Besar Umno Youth chief Jamal Md Yunos ahead of his face-off with Bersih next week.

The curbside near Dataran Maybank is one of the starting points for the yellow-themed rally on Nov 19, and Jamal said his red-shirts will be there too.

"The reason we gathered here is to remind Bersih, that what we've been saying these past few months isn't just empty talk.

"On Nov 19, wherever Bersih announces it will be gathering, we will be there," he said.

Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah had announced that yellow-shirt protesters will be marching from Dataran Maybank and Masjid Negara towards the general vicinity of Dataran Merdeka.

Jamal's announcement raises concerns that tensions on Nov 19 may build up quickly if the red-shirts and Bersih will be gathering at the same spots.

The red-shirts have gained infamy by the roughness in which they antagonise Bersih participants, with Jamal himself getting into a heated argument with a yellow-shirt supporter earlier today.

While the Umno chieftain has shown that he can keep the red-shirts in line as he did in Kapar, it is unlikely that he can maintain control over all of them - especially in a situation where large groups of protesters are spread out over several kilometers.

Jamal has promised to bring out 300,000 red-shirts next Saturday to counter Bersih, but the Umno man has been known to inflate numbers.

Last week he said there were 10,000 red-shirts rallying outside the the Malaysiakini office, when the actual crowd was no more than 700.

In his speech today, Jamal said his rally was aimed at showing that Malaysian loved peace, and was against Bersih and its supporters, such as former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whom he accused of "dividing Malaysians".

He also rubbished Bersih's assertions that the Election Commission was biased towards the government.

"If the EC is not fair, how can the 'Pakatan tanpa Harapan (Hopeless Pakatan)' win Selangor for two terms? How can Penang be governed by the racist DAP? How can PAS hold onto Kelantan?" he asked.

Jamal then took a jab at the fact that Bersih was registered under the Companies Commission Malaysia (CCM) as well as having allegedly received funds from Jewish-American business magnate George Soros through the Open Society Foundations.

"If they are registered as a company, then it means Maria is doing business.

"She's raking in millions, but the victims are those people who want to 'rejuvenate' Malaysia, Maria's 'bangangs and bahaluls' (numbskulls and blockheads).

"After Nov 19 she will get a new car, buy a bungalow, buy a house in London. Soros will give her money. But (her supporters) and us (get nothing, but) have to endure the hot sun," he said.

Some NGOs have chosen to register under the Companies Commission Act instead of the Societies Act.

This puts them under the Companies Commission of Malaysia instead of the Registrar of Societies which has more wide ranging powers including instructing the closure of an organisation.

Later in a brief press conference, Jamal said that should he and other red-shirt leaders be arrested before Nov 19, others will take his place.

Prior to his speech, there was a brief silat performance by teenagers - one that did not involve wooden planks - as well as two mock muay thai matches.

Jamal said this showed that silat practitioners were behind him, despite the snub by a silat master earlier this week.

He also assured that the teenagers present today would not be present at the rally if they were below the legal age for attending rallies.

The Peaceful Assembly Act makes it an offence for anyone under the age of 15 to attend a protest.