Opposition rallies have always been about crowd size, as they are basically a show of strength. And Bersih is no exception, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak, who argued that size doesn't translate into support or votes.

Salleh said this has been the way since way back, when the opposition always demonstrated its strength based on the crowd it mobilises for ceramah and demonstrations.

He said the matter of numbers was always hyped up by the opposition media, which focused on the crowd size and number of people a certain event attracts.

However, the minister said, he believe that numbers mean nothing and do not translate to actual support or win votes in elections.

"If crowd size determines the winner in the election, then the opposition would have won the election back in 1999. Opposition events have always managed to attract crowds due to the entertainment provided," said Salleh in a blog post.

He pointed out that there have been many times during by-elections where the opposition crowd is large and yet they still lose the electoral contest.

"Voters want to see plans and policies and how their future can be guaranteed and improved. Large crowds at rallies do not put food on the table.

"In any election anywhere in the world, it is always bread-and-butter issues. And this is what the government is going to focus on.

"We should not menang sorak tapi kampung tergadai (win at cheering but lose the homestead)," concluded the minister.

At its peak in KLCC, Malaysiakini estimated that the turnout for Saturday's Bersih 5 rally to be around 40,000, though Bersih claims that their numbers reached more than 100,000.

Police estimated the Bersih 5 crowd size to be at 15,000.

On the other hand Malaysiakini estimated the red-shirts to have numbered 4,000 people at the peak of their counter-rally, a pale comparison to the 45,000 it managed to mobilise last year and the 300,000 that Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos, who leads the movement, vowed to field.

Police estimate puts the number of red-shirt at the counter-rally to be around 2,000.