Bersih is not relying on the outcome of the Tangkap Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) rally to fix its final date for the Bersih 5 demonstration, the electoral reform movement chief Maria Chin Abdullah said.

“We really don't take it (Tangkap MO1 rally) as an indicator. We see it as another group responding to yet to another crucial issue facing the country at the moment,” she told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Asked whether she was worried that the low turnout at last Saturday’s Tangkap MO1 rally may be repeated during Bersih 5, Maria admitted that Bersih was concerned about this.

However, she said, Bersih would be working hard to attract more people to attend its rally.

“That's why we have to build up the momentum. For us, generally we see the momentum as low, whether for the Bersih or Tangkap MO1 rallies.

“The blame should not be on the rally but rather it is because the people are very disappointed with various ongoing issues. Many feel powerless,” Maria said.

Students praised for mobilising crowd

However, she insisted that a low momentum should not stop the people from protesting.

She also praised the students for being able to mobilise the crowd to the Tangkap MO1 rally in a very short span of time.

Some 1,500 people joined the student-led Tangkap MO1 rally in the heart of Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, to pressure the authorities to identify, investigate and charge the individual mentioned 36 times in the United States Department of Justice civil suit to recover nearly US$1 billion in assets linked to 1MDB.

The turnout is considered low, compared with previous rallies, and this has prompted concerns that it may affect the Bersih 5 turnout.

Bersih has not announced the date for its fifth rally, saying it needs more time to prepare and to educate more people on the issues of concern.