Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the #Merah169 rally appeared to be a display of support for the Najib administration that came under pressure during a rival rally last month. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng

CYBERJAYA, Sept 16 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed today’s #Merah169 rally as having no clear objective, despite its organisers’ claim to uphold the honour of the Malay community.

The former Umno president said the rally, which managed to gather an estimated 15,000 participants at Padang Merbok, appeared to be a display of support for the Najib administration that came under pressure during a rival rally last month.

“We don’t even know what is the objective of the rally [sic]. It is just to support the government,” Dr Mahathir told the press in a brief interview here.

Dr Mahathir is among the few Umno leaders who openly objected to the “Red Shirt” rally, calling unnecessary as its true objective is not to fight for the Malays.

Other notable Umno leaders who echoed the former prime minister’s views were the party’s deputy president, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, and former Umno Wanita chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

Dr Mahathir today also repeated his stance that the controversial demonstration, whose organisers said was aimed at countering the Bersih 4 rally, was unnecessary, stressing that the protest by electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 last month was not racial in nature.

“To paint the Bersih rally as racist in order to show that they’re supposedly fighting for the Malays — they’re not fighting [for the Malays]. No need lah,” Dr Mahathir told reporters after speaking at the 4th Mahathir Global Peace School initiative by the Perdana Global Peace Foundation yesterday.

Dr Mahathir had appeared at the Bersih 4 rally in Kuala Lumpur during the Merdeka weekend, which saw tens of thousands flood the streets during the overnight demonstration for institutional reforms.

Thousands of red-shirted people were bussed into the federal capital this morning to take part in a rally officially called “Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu” or the United People’s Assembly, but which drew concern among traders in the city centre and ethnic Chinese business leaders.

The “red shirts” first gathered at several points in the city, including Kompleks Kraf Malaysia in Jalan Conlay, the Putra World Trade Centre and the National Mosque before marching through major roads to converge at Padang Merbok near Parliament.

The rally, said to be in support of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership, was to counter to last month’s two-day Bersih 4 gathering calling for the prime minister’s resignation.

The ruling Malay party has insisted that it does not endorse the event, which has also been alternately called “Himpunan Maruah Melayu”, but has not prohibited its members from participating in today’s demonstration organised by martial arts group Pesaka.