The Tangkap Malaysian Official 1 rally had got off to a slow start earlier today with a few hundred participants gathered at assembly points at Masjid Negara and Sogo shopping complex.
More rally-goers have joined the crowd, which grew to some 2,000 as they converged along Jalan Raja, near the City Hall building outside Dataran Merdeka.
The crowd, carrying placards above their arms, were heard chanting “Hidup hidup, hidup Rakyat, tangkap tangkap, tangkap MO1.”
A makeshift cage was seen being carried in the crowd, with the appearance of a prison cell, with a clown caricature inside.
Most rally-goers were dressed in black and white, in keeping with the theme of the TangkapMO1 rally.
A cordon of policemen were guarding Dataran Merdeka, and were keeping watch while rally organisers and opposition politicians recited details of suits filed by the US Department of Justice giving a detailed description of “Malaysian Official 1.”
The rally organisers were warned by the police a few days ago that no permission had been granted for rally-goers to gather at the square.
Earlier, police outside Masjid Negara had also warned the participants to disperse. However, no arrests had been made yet.
Among the familiar faces seen at the rally were Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua of the DAP, youth activist Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, who is a pro-tem committee member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad of Parti Amanah Negara.
Also present were many other noted activists who have spoken against Prime Minister Najib Razak, his Barisan Nasional government, and the scandals surrounding alleged embezzlement of 1MDB funds.
At Sogo earlier, Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah reiterated that the rally was to keep up pressure for the arrest of the individual mentioned in the United State suits pertaining to the alleged misappropriation of funds linked to 1MDB.
Many people, especially members of the Opposition, have pointed fingers at Najib as being “MO1”.
University students, led by Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof, then organised the Tangkap Malaysian Official 1 rally.
Activist Hishammudin Rais told the crowd that the rally today was a signal to the coming Bersih 5 gathering. “The youths are the new generation to carry out our struggles. This is a signal for Bersih 5,” he had said.