Bersih 4: Crowds dispersing after 4.30pm peak
(The Star) – The Bersih 4 crowd in Dataran Merdeka has begun to disperse, with crowds slowly leaving the area on foot after the rally’s peak at about 4.30pm
Groups of people decked in yellow are leaving the area on foot via Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Tun Perak and Jalan Raja Laut.
However, thousands still remain at one end of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR), close to Dataran Merdeka to listen to speeches from political and social leaders.
The rally-goers had intended to gather at Dataran Medeka itself but they were not allowed to do so as the whole area was barricaded by the police.
Among those who gave speeches are NegaraKu founder and former Bar Council chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah.
Leaders continued to give their speeches under the heat and people were in high spirits when top opposition figures such as Lim Guan Eng, Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Rafizi Ramli arrived at the makeshift stage set up near Dataran Merdeka.
Gerakan Harapan Baru (GHB) chief Mohammad Sabu and DAP leader Lim Kit Siang also spoke to a Bersih crowd at Masjid Negara.
Thousands of people walked from Sogo towards Dataran Merdeka but the sweltering heat and limited space at Dataran Merdeka put off some of the protesters,
Those put off left and walked towards the Dang Wangi and Masjid Jamek LRT stations.
The crowd gathered from the Masjid Jamek area down to the Bar Council heading to Dataran Merdeka also appeared to be dispersing.
Protesters claimed that they needed a break from the heat with some saying that they “will come back when it’s cooler”.
There was however still a good number of people who decided to just seek shade under the walkways along the route.
Some protesters could be seen sharing umbrellas while others were seen giving out water bottles and towels to fellow protesters.
At the time of this article the situation in front of Sogo is under control and police have managed the traffic well.
The Bersih participants chanted, waved flags, raised banners, sang Negaraku and blasted air horns.
No untoward incidents occurred.
Meanwhile, a group of Bersih 4.0 protesters were seen leaving the rally as early as 5pm.
A rally-goer who spoke under the condition of anonymity said he and a group of four friends decided to go home after gathering and marching to Dataran Merdeka as early as 10am.
“We’re going home as we’re really exhausted. The duration of this rally is quite long for us to stay over,” he said when met at Dang Wangi.
Another protester, who also declined to be identified, said she decided to call it a day after receiving no directions from the organiser.
“I wandered aimlessly for awhile before deciding to go home. Aside of feeling tired, I also don’t know where I should be as we did not receive any direction from them,” she said.
The rally officially started at 2pm in designated locations throughout the city including Sogo, Central Market, Menara Maybank, Masjid Negara and Brickfields.
The overnight rally will continue until 11.59pm on Sunday.
The police had declared Bersih 4 illegal but Bersih 2.0 organisers went on to say that the rally will go on as planned.
On Friday, the Home Ministry banned the use of Bersih t-shirts and other paraphernalia.
