Parts of the square have been sealed off with plastic and steel barricades but Kuala Lumpur City Hall Mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail said they will leave the roads around it open.
Rally organisers said they will not hold a sit-in at the square and hoped the authorities would allow them passage through the symbolic area during the protest.
"We will go as close as we can to Dataran ... we hope that the authorities will show us good faith and let us through, they can still do that," said Bersih co-chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan.
The police obtained a court order forbidding people from assembling at the site and warned they would act against demonstrators who tried to breach the cordon.
Officials also called on Bersih to cooperate with the authorities.
"I appeal to Bersih organisers to work with us to ensure that tomorrow's protest passes off legally and without incident," Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a briefing to diplomats and the foreign media.
The opposition-backed Bersih has emerged as a key pressure group against Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has pledged political and economic reform in a bid to reverse some of the ruling coalition's 2008 election losses.
More than 10,000 people attended a similar rally called by Bersih last year, prompting Mr Najib to establish a Parliament committee to recommend electoral reforms.
Members of Bersih allege that voter registration lists are marred by manipulation and that the Election Commission is biased.
They also want changes to ensure citizens living abroad can cast ballots, as well as international observers for the polls and fairer access for all political parties to the government-linked media.
ORIGINAL SOURCE
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