"Bersih 5 organisers sent a notice to us on Nov. 2, of their intention to hold the rally, but we could not process the notice because it did not fulfill the required conditions which is to attach approval from the owner of the venue," said City Police Chief ACP M. Chandra, Wednesday.
"We have already called and informed them officially that the Bersih 5 rally is not in accordance to the requirements under the Peaceful Assembly Act," he told a media conference at the Kota Kinabalu police headquarters.
He said police are ready with sufficient manpower to control traffic and ensure public order during the rally.
"I remind the people that since the rally is not in accordance with the provisions of the law, they are therefore not encouraged to turn up for the rally, as we do not want untoward incidents to take place.
"We have not received any information about the Red Shirts group so far, but the possibilities are always there and these are the things that we want to avoid. The police will be there for two reasons, one is to make sure that the flow of the event is proper and second is to try avoid untoward incidents," he said.
Meanwhile, Deputy State Police Commissioner Dato' Awang Sahari E.M. Nadzeer assured that the police will address the matter professionally.
Awang Sahari who was there to launch the city police's Motorcycle Patrol Unit and Mobile Patrol Vehicle said he believes the city police chief has already taken early initiatives to handle the matter.
The launching ceremony was also part of Awang Sahari's visit to each police district across the State prior to retirement.
The Bersih Sabah Steering Committee has extensively promoted Bersih 5 Kota Kinabalu (B5KK) rally through their Statewide convoy since Oct. 10.
The final leg of the convoy was flagged off at Taman Victoria in Labuan before heading to Putatan and ended in Penampang on Saturday.
Several police reports were lodged by Bersih Sabah supporters who claimed to have been badly harassed and threatened by Labuan Umno Youth in Labuan.
The end of the convoy also marked the final preparation for the B5KK which is set to take place from 1pm to 6pm despite City Hall's decision to deny them access to the public park.
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