Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s Global Movement of Moderates (GMM) initiative has received support from world leaders and organisations, including US President Barack Obama, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.

azlan Deputy Foreign Minister A Kohilan Pillay during Question Time said that official endorsements have been given by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean), Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in their summits.

“GMM has been well-received locally and internationally, with more than 25 countries and world leaders proclaiming support..

“Recently, during a meeting between the PM and US President Barack Obama during the Asean summit in Phnom Penh, Obama admitted that the moderation concept pioneered by the GMM can contribute to world peace,” he said.

Kohilan was replying to Abu Bakar Taib (BN-Langkawi) who asked how the GMM played its role in NAM and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The deputy minister added that the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) has also showed support to the GMM Foundation, starting with the foundation’s participation in a UNAOC conference in Turkey last May.

‘Malaysia’s contribution to the world’

He added that the government hopes that the GMM can be Malaysia’s contribution to the world in its bid to fight extremism.

“GMM is a platform to fight extremism and violence... the majority must unite to drown out extremist voices and clamp down on extremist sentiments.

“Extremist sentiments exist and must be dealt with through the mind, and not just through military action,” he said.