A NEWS report issued earlier yesterday about my remarks at the conference on Democracy in Southeast Asia organised by Suhakam recently seems to imply that I only approve of leadership provided by “elites”. This is empathetically not what I meant.

My point, in reply to a question about my views on democracy and my alleged ‘elitist’ status, was that it doesn’t matter what background a leader has. What matters is the quality of leadership they provide from a moral and governance perspective. I elaborated by pointing out that so-called ‘elites’ were in government in the early years of our country’s history; and despite that, we enjoyed better governance and freedom.

In future, I hope journalists will pay closer attention to not just the words, but also the context of what panellists say in conferences of this nature in future. The respective editors should correct their reports accordingly. – September 4, 2017.

* Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin Tuanku Mukhriz is the founding president of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) Malaysia.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.