NAZIR Razak has come out to clarify misperceptions surrounding the Better Malaysia Assembly (BMA) and letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong dated October 28.

He said the letter is a proposal for the assembly to be established, adding that its 55 signatories support the idea, but this does not mean that they will be made BMA members.

“The letter makes clear that the member selection should be undertaken via a process involving the prime minister, opposition leader, as well as civil society.

“This process should result in a membership that is representative of Malaysian society.”

However, Nazir said, the signatories do comprise a diverse group of prominent Malaysians of differing backgrounds, races and views.

He said the fact that some signatories were reluctant to share the same platform with others but later overcame their reservations exemplifies the essence of deliberative democracy.

BMA is a platform for deliberative democracy, which is an important feature of many democracies across the world. A recent Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development survey highlighted that 289 of such platforms have been employed to help governments address complex structural issues.

As such, Nazir said, it is a platform that will work within the Malaysian democratic process.

Among the 55 signatories are former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam, Undi 18 co-founder Nur Qyira Yusri and Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandes.

Nazir, the brother of former prime minister Najib Razak, had previously said the “much-needed national reset” assembly’s establishment is necessary to ensure the country is stable economically, politically and socially. – November 29, 2021.