Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah meanwhile vowed the turnout of this protest would be greater than the Bersih 4.0 rally of last year that called for institutional reforms in the country.

Others who will join Bersih in the protest are the National Human Rights Society (Suhakam), Institute Rakyat and Tenaganita.

Azlan also said that the coalition of NGOs had given the police notice of the protest 10 days in advance, in accordance with the requirements of the Peaceful Assembly Act and had met with Dang Wangi district police chief Zainol Samah on the matter.

“The police are mindful of events that might lead to undesirable situations, so we will cooperate with them,” Azlan said at a press conference today.

He added that Bantah TPPA was still in the process however of obtaining permission from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for the use of Dataran Merdeka.

The anti-TPPA protest is being organised by Bantah TPPA, and has already gained the support of several opposition parties such as PAS and PSM.

Azlan said they were hoping for a “massive turnout” for the protest, that is scheduled to last three hours from 2pm to 5pm on January 23.

Earlier today, Opposition MP Charles Santiago challenged Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) Mustapa Mohamed to an open debate on the TPPA.

Santiago said that there were still many questions left unanswered about the contentious trade pact and that the best medium for the minister to answer them would be in a public debate.