Participants can even protest in the nude as long as the Bersih 4 rally is held in a stadium, said Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

However, Tengku Adnan stressed, the protesters should steer clear of public places such as Dataran Merdeka and Padang Merbok.

"If they want to do a protest, they can go to any stadium they want. Go to Melawati Stadium (in Selangor).

"Do whatever you want - shout, get naked [...] do whatever you like," said the minister, who is popularly known as Ku Nan.

His comments came after Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) rejected a

request from election reform movement Bersih to hold its Aug 29-30 overnight rally at the iconic Dataran Merdeka.

Mayor Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz ( photo ) said this was because Dataran Merdeka would be used for preparations and rehearsals ahead of the Merdeka Day parade there on Aug 31.

Following this, Bersih decided to gather on the streets instead.

Yesterday, Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah challenged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to allow the protest.

Speaking at a forum, she said if the rally - which among others is to express the people’s lack of confidence in Najib - failed to gain traction, then the prime minister could consider it a public mandate to continue in office.

Not right venue

Tengku Adnan reiterated that a public place was not the right venue for protesters to express their dissatisfaction.

"They want a place to express their dissatisfaction, we all agree, yes.

"And the government is so nice to allow you to do so, but we say (it must be done) in a contained place, not in a public place," he said.