KUALA LUMPUR • The Bersih 4 rallies this weekend will be held simultaneously in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, and Kuching in Sarawak.

The electoral watchdog is demanding Prime Minister Najib Razak's resignation over his handling of state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

The rally will start at 2pm tomorrow and continue until midnight on Sunday.

Kuala Lumpur police have called the rally illegal and blocked the main routes towards Merdeka Square. Kuala Lumpur City Hall has also not given permission for the rally to take place on the historic field, saying it would interfere with preparations for national day - or Merdeka Day - celebrations next Monday.

Many areas in KL will be affected by road closures, so the roads near the following landmarks should be avoided: the National Mosque, Sogo shopping complex, Central Market, Maju Junction Mall, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Jamek Mosque, National Museum, Carcosa Seri Negara hotel, Parliament building and Brickfields. In past Bersih rallies, roads near KLCC shopping complex had also been affected.

In Kuching, the police and the mayor have given the green light for the Bersih gathering to take place at the Song Kheng Hai rugby pitch, after initial plans to hold it on Padang Merdeka was denied.

Bersih, meanwhile, is still negotiating with the Sabah state government on the appropriate venue for the rally in Kota Kinabalu.

The electoral watchdog's international advocacy arm, Global Bersih, also announced that solidarity events by Malaysians living overseas will be held in more than 50 cities around the world, in support of the Bersih rallies at home.

The cities participating include New Delhi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Auckland, Canberra, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Washington, San Diego, Vancouver, Paris, Hamburg, Shanghai and Ulaanbaatar.

Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani