The voices of moderation should occupy the broad, middle ground of the nation for the sake of continued peace, happiness and economic prosperity of all the people, says former Court of Appeal judge Mohd Ariff Md Yusof.

Ariff said the voices against moderation and extremism, whether these are political, religious, racial or regional, should not be allowed to spread but remain within the extremities of one’s political life.

A democratic society, he said, can only be viable if there is a great measure of tolerance for freedoms, not the other way round.