KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Sungai Besar Umno division chief Datuk Jamal Md Yunos yesterday denied that Datuk Seri Najib Razak allocated RM3 million for the #Merah169 rally on September 16.

The head of the so-called Coalition of Malay NGOs that was behind the “Himpunan Maruah Melayu (Malay Dignity Rally)” that marched to the main “Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu (United People’s Rally)” on Wednesday said he was informed of claims that the prime minister had written a cheque for the amount.

“I wish to deny the statement and news. I wish to stress that ‘Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu’ is not linked to Datuk Seri Najib and did not receive any allocations from him or the government,” he said in a statement last night.

The rally drew perceptions of massive funding after police estimated that over 2,000 busses were used to transport attendees to the protest on Wednesday. The view was reinforced when food, drinks, and banners were brought in to be distributed to attendees.

Police estimated the crowd at various points of the rally at Padang Merbok and elsewhere in the city to reach 50,000 people.

Later in his statement, Jamal suggested that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng may eventually contribute RM30 million to avoid the so-called “Red Shirt” rally from converging on his state.

It was unclear what the Umno leader intended with the remark.

Thousands of red shirted people were bussed into the federal capital on Wednesday that caused concern among traders in the city centre and ethnic Chinese business leaders.

Federal Reserve Unit officers used water cannons on protesters trying to force their way past a security cordon at Petaling Street while the rally was also marred by sporadic outbreaks of racism, with one attendee recorded calling a reporter “Crazy Chinese pig”, among other insults.

The rally, said to be in support of Najib’s leadership, was to counter last month’s mammoth 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 did not prohibit its members from participating in the demonstration organised by martial arts group Pesaka.