KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Twitter users in Peninsular Malaysia were divided in their views on the reported Chinese domination of Bersih 4, with just a slim majority of 55.6 per cent saying race was a non-issue during the mass rally, according to an opinion analysis by social media research firm Politweet.

The remaining 44.4 per cent or 222 of the 500 users analysed, Politweet said, felt the opposite, with 113 users or a little over half of those in this category also expressing fear of the Chinese gaining political power in Malaysia.

"These users were concerned about the number of Chinese at the protest and specifically expressed fears of the Chinese community gaining too much political power; planning to control the government; or using Bersih to push their own agenda," Politweet wrote in its analysis.

Others in this category were described by Politweet as users who felt there were "too many Chinese" at the mass rally that went on for 34 hours from August 29 to 30.

"Disappointment, complaints and fear were among the most common concerns. The ethnic composition was not considered to be reflective of Malaysia's population.

"This also affected some users' perception of Bersih 4's cause as it became perceived as a Chinese-led movement. Exaggerated reports on the numbers of protesters (100 thousand – 200 thousand) likely fuelled this sense of alarm," Politweet said.

Of the 278 users or 55.6 per cent who did not consider the race of protesters to be an issue, some tweeted that more Malays would have joined the gathering if the government had not threatened action against civil servants and university students.

Some also said the focus should not be on race but on the objectives of the rally which, among others, demanded free and fair polls and institutional reforms, as well as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation.

About 14 per cent or 72 users in this category said race was not a factor because "we are all Malaysians" or "we are one people", Politweet said.

The main reason for the race-centered conversations about Bersih 4, according to the social media research firm, was largely due to the reports on the high number of Chinese protesters who showed up for the first day of the rally.

The firm pointed out that these observations had not only appeared on social media but was also reported by both the mainstream and alternative media like Malaysiakini, Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian.

"Reports of the high percentage of Chinese protesters at the rally did influence opinions about Bersih’s cause.

"The racial mind-set among the users caused them to factor in the race of Bersih 4 protesters when evaluating Bersih’s goals. If the crowd had been more ethnically mixed this could have been avoided," Politweet said in its conclusion.

It also noted that news and photographs of the few Chinese protesters seen stomping on a superimposed image of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak hugging PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had made an impact in the opinions aired about Bersih 4.

"Having rally monitors intervene when such acts occur would help reduce backlash in future rallies," the firm said.

According to Politweet's estimates, between 79,919 and 108,125 people attended the 34-hour mass gathering to demand institutional reforms and Najib's resignation.

Of this, it roughly estimated that between 60 per cent and 80 per cent were ethnic Chinese.

For its analysis, the firm studied the opinions of 500 users in Peninsular Malaysia who tweeted about Bersih 4, race, racism and related terms from August 29 to September 2.