'Government to probe claims of George Soros funding Bersih'

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said investigations will be done empirically, that is by means of observation and scientific experimentation.

"We will act on it if there is a police report. We will proceed accordingly and will not subject to any speculation."

"We must be professional. There needs to be evidence to back the information obtained from the internet," he told reporters after the launch of the book 'Being Abdullah Badawi' here today.

It was reported earlier today that a foreign group chaired by Soros had been funding several local organisations in its programmes to influence the outcome of the next general election.

Meanwhile, Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said the Bersih 5 rally is slated on Nov 19, with its five demands being clean elections, a clean government, strengthening parliamentary democracy, the right to dissent, as well as the empowering of Sabah and Sarawak.

In a separate development, Foreign Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said former second finance minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah should be held responsible for his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) statements made in Parliament.

"He had never raised any concerns regarding 1MDB during UMNO Supreme Council meetings before. That is a reality. I was there and there are friends who had raised the issue.

"Husni has the right to ask but if there is a motive to unveil certain things which was collectively discussed and agreed upon, he needs to be responsible," Reezal Merican said.

During the tabling of 2017 Budget, Ahmad Husni had asked the government to state the reason for establishing 1MDB and if any action had been taken against the company for channeling its funds to the wrong places.

Ahmad Husni also questioned if Malaysia's reputation would be affected if 1MDB lose the arbitration case with International Petroleum Investment Co. (IPIC) whereby the latter is seeking to recover US$6.5 billion from 1MDB.