Fifth Bersih protest in Malaysia demands prime minister's resignation.
On the morning of November 19, hundreds of people wearing yellow shirts gathered on Jalan Bangsar Avenue to participate in the fifth protest in Kuala Lumpur in an effort to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign.
Channel NewsAsia reported that at 9:58 a.m. (Malaysian time), Marina Mahathir, daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, appeared at a protest on Jalan Bangsar organized by the Bersih civil rights group.
"We are civilized people, unlike those in red shirts," Marina declared to the crowd surrounding her.
![]() |
| Bersih activists say everyone has heard about the 1MDB scandal, but nobody understands what actually happened in it. - Photo: AFP |
An estimated 7,000 police officers were deployed to confront the protesting crowds. Police also warned they might use water cannons and tear gas to quell unruly protesters.
The fifth protest by the Bersih reform movement took place on Saturday morning, despite the police arrest of the movement's leader, Maria Chin Abdullah, and secretary-general Mandeep Singh yesterday.
Police searched the group's office in Petaling Jaya that evening and confiscated numerous items including laptops, mobile phones, and bank documents.
"This cannot break our spirit," the Bersih organization declared on Facebook.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Red Shirts, who back Najib's government, are also heading towards the headquarters of the ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO) after the road to Padang Merbok was blocked.
The Red Shirts said they were ready to confront the Yellow Shirt protesters.
Previous Bersih (meaning Clean) protests have drawn thousands of demonstrators to the streets calling for national and electoral reforms to make the government more transparent.
This year, Bersih is calling on the government to clarify the scandal surrounding the 1MDB state fund.
According to Tuoi Tre newspaper
