KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 ― The police told Bersih 2.0 today to obtain permission to hold their Bersih 4 rally at Dataran Merdeka, warning them that demonstrators will face action otherwise in the rally the force dubbed as illegal.

Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Zainol Samah said that the planned rally by the polls reform group this weekend in the city centre was illegal “right from the start”, claiming that the organisers were however persistent and adamant on having the assembly at the historic square.

“The police have informed that the assembly is unlawful as they have no permission to have the event there and this violates Section 11 of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012,”  Zainol told reporters at a press conference at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters here, after a meeting with Bersih 2.0 chair, Maria Chin Abdullah.

“The organisers of the National Day celebration have however obtained permission to use the location and there simply cannot be two assemblies on the same day at the same time.

“Freedom to assemble is not one’s ultimate right,” he added.

The right to assemble peacefully, however, is enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

“The Constitution does allow for peaceful assembly without any weapons, but it is still subject to necessary limitations in the interest of the federation and public order,” Zainol said.

He said the police will facilitate the Bersih 4 rally only if the organisers obtain permission to hold their assembly at Dataran Merdeka.

“Suffice to say, anyone who organises an unlawful assembly is committing an offence and we will have an investigation, and they will face justice,” he said.

Chin told reporters today that Bersih 4 will continue as planned despite the police warning, saying that the demonstration will only take place in areas surrounding Dataran Merdeka.

The overnight Bersih 4 rally scheduled this weekend at the city centre, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Kuching in Sarawak, and other cities around the world, aims to press for institutional reforms and for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's resignation over his handling of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.