(Sept 14): The Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu or "red shirt" rally planned this Wednesday is illegal but Putrajaya has no plan to ban its paraphernalia, the Home Ministry said today.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that the demonstration, which is being held to counter the Bersih 4 rally two weeks ago, is illegal because the organiser has yet to obtain permission to use any location to hold the gathering.

"The law that allows demonstration is the Peaceful Assembly Act. A lawful rally can be held at gazetted locations but since there are no such locations under the law, you need to ask permission. So the rally is illegal according to the law," he said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

When asked if red t-shirts would be banned ahead of the rally similar to the ministry's ban of yellow Bersih clothing, Nur Jazlan said there was no plan to do so.

"No, there is no such plan as of yet (to ban red shirt paraphernalia)," he added.

Just a day before the Bersih 4 rally began on August 29, the Home Ministry banned the use of yellow with the words Bersih 4 in whatever form, in a government gazette made under the Printing, Presses and Publications Act 1984.

This was after the police declared the rally illegal but despite that, tens of thousands of people gathered around Dataran Merdeka for the 34-hour rally.

The rally was to demand institutional reform, the right to protest, a corruption-free and clean government and political system, and measures to save the economy.

Meanwhile, the "red shirt" rally is also being held to express anger over footage of Bersih 4 participants stomping on pictures of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

Najib, who is Umno president, said the party did not endorse the rally, but it won’t stop party members from attending. Some of the rally’s organisers are also Umno grassroots leaders at the division level. - The Malaysian Insider