Opposition leaders laced their festive speeches at Keadilan's "100,000 People's Gathering" this afternoon with some "political" messages, circumventing one of the conditions laid down by the police in the permit issued for the event.

While the condition disallowing "political" speeches at the gathering was generally adhered to, the boisterous crowd of some 6,000 people occasionally broke into singing "reformasi" songs, watched by several groups of general operation force personnel nearby.

Barsian Alternatif leaders assembled under a tent at the venue in Kampung Medan Telok Panglima Garang, Kuala Langat, 4km off the Klang-Banting highway.

The leaders took turns to give their "Hari Raya" address, while several thousand more supporters milled outside the tent, some sitting on the ground with food and drinks like enjoying a "family picnic".

Not a reformasi gathering

At one juncture when the crowd became "overzealous" in their singing and shouting, DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang appealed for calm.

Lacing her speech with subtlety, Keadilan president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail referred to the mismanagement of funds by the state government in Kedah amounting to some RM1.2 billion.

"We're not talking about politics, we're talking about government mismanagement and morality issues," she said.

Other leaders who gave speeches included PRM president Syed Husin Ali and PAS vice-president Hassan Shukri.

"May the Year of the Snake see the victory of justice and the defeat of cruelty with the power of the snake!" said Syed Husin.

At about 5pm, rain began to fall, forcing the crowd to look for shelter.