PETALING JAYA, Oct 27 — PAS's participation is not vital to the success of Bersih 5, according to its organisers who said the Islamist party was not the representative of the Malay community.

In a press conference at its office here, Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Thomas Fann said that the electoral watchdog believes it has already secured the backing of the Malay community via its own campaigns.

"It is regrettable that PAS chose not to support our demands for clean election, clean government and all the five demands. But nonetheless, we have to recognise that PAS does not represent all Malays.

"We believe that from the ground, the response from the Malays when we go to the ground has been very encouraging,” Fann said.

Bersih 2.0 deputy chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari said the invitation for PAS to participate in the November 19 rally would remain open, but added that his group was not overly concerned if the Islamist party does not attend.

Early this month, PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said his party will not participate in the November 19 rally organised by Bersih 2.0, explaining that while PAS supported the group's original goals, the aim of Bersih 5 was not aligned with that of his party.

However, he added that the leadership has not decided whether or not to allow its members to participate.

PAS had also been noticeably absent from the Bersih 4 event last year, when previously its Unit Amal volunteer unit had provided security and crowd control services.