The Bersih 5 rally has demonstrated that Malaysians can air dissent in a peaceful manner, former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam said.

According to The Star Online yesterday, Musa, a former Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) chairperson, described the event as the “best thing to happen” to Malaysia.

"By demonstrating peacefully, we have proven the naysayers wrong. As an Umno member, I've always been for peaceful assemblies and still hold on to that view, even if other party members don't.

"I hope this culture of peaceful demonstration may soon be accepted by both the people and the government. If people are allowed to demonstrate without fear or favour, it will be more than a huge plus for the government," Musa is quoted as saying.

Musa also commended the handling of Bersih 5 by the police.

"At the first Bersih, there was violence because the police came with water cannons. Fortunately, they have learned for the better," he said.

Musa said demonstrations were part of the democratic process, allowing the public to voice dissent between elections.

"The fact that the rally went ahead without any major incident also speaks a great deal about the capabilities of the authorities and the psychology of the people," he said.

Bersih 5 drew an estimated 40,000 people at its peak. The rally was called to demand for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's resignation over the 1MDB scandal, good governance and free and fair elections.

Putrajaya and BN reacted by claiming that Bersih 5's goals were to topple the democratically elected government.

'Prioritise improving governance'

Earlier yesterday, speaking at a conference in Petaling Jaya, Musa called on the public and private sectors to prioritise improving governance, amid a tumultuous global and local political and economic landscape.

Describing the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal as “the mother of all financial scandals”, Musa said the key to managing proper governance and integrity among leaders and senior managements of companies is to first understand what the concept entails.

“If corruption and abuse of power do not exist in your company and as long as you ensure transparency and accountability in your decision-making process, your business will be sustainable in the long run,” Musa said when delivering his keynote address at the opening of the two-day Women’s Institute of Management’s Integrity and Governance for Company Directors in the Public and Private Sectors conference.

“Governance and integrity are two things that have been emphasised of late due to our country being tangled in one scandal after anoth er, which have been very problem atic for Malaysians. Judging from what has been happening recently, it would seem that our country is constantly working itself up to be worse,” Musa noted.

“We are going through a tumultuous age of uncertainties, which are compounded by recent developments globally. We cannot help but notice the confusion that all these events have caused,” he added.