Despite protests from his party’s Perikatan Nasional allies Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People’s Party (MIPP), Fadhli said the rally should neither be feared nor prevented from taking place.

The Pasir Mas MP said the rally, led by independent preacher Zamri Vinoth, was merely intended to champion the rule of law.

“There’s no need for it to be obstructed. There’s no need for anyone to be afraid.

“It’s different from rallies that demand for rights that are prohibited under the Federal Constitution, like pro-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rallies, for example,” he said in a Facebook post.

MIPP had urged PAS and Bersatu to boycott the rally, with its president P Punithan writing to Abdul Hadi Awang and Muhyiddin Yassin urging them to bar their members from joining the gathering.

MIPP said this was crucial to preserve the close cooperation within PN while ensuring national harmony, peace and security.

The PN component also wrote to the Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to ask the police to prevent the rally from going ahead.

Gerakan vice-president G Parameswaran also criticised the protest, saying the Peaceful Assembly Act should not be misused to allow racial and religious provocation.

A coalition of NGOs led by Zamri plans to hold the rally outside the Sogo shopping mall this Saturday night to pressure authorities to take action against “illegal” houses of worship.

Multiple police reports have also been lodged over the rally.