KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Perceived progressive Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah has been made the head of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation in an apparent bid by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to renew his message against extremism.

In making the announcement today, the foundation said the former deputy minister of higher education was a good fit for the role of chief executive officer, given his stance on politics and reforms.

“Known for his progressive views on politics and outspoken in his desire to affect change, Datuk Saifuddin’s track record in advocating for democratic reform and championing youth empowerment, as well as his long history of service in civil society, made him uniquely suited to lead the foundation and help forward its agenda for moderation,” said Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the chairman of the foundation, in a statement today.

The former Temerloh MP was one of the high-profile Barisan Nasional casualties in Election 2013, when he lost to PAS’s Nasaruddin Hassan Tantawi in the contest for the Johor federal seat.

He had been one of the first to dispute the categorisation of the 13^th general election results as a “Chinese tsunami”, calling it instead a “tsunami of values”.

Najib introduced the Global Movement of Moderates in January 2013, and said then that embracing moderation and rejecting extremism in all its forms was necessary for the world to co-exist peacefully.

The prime minister is listed as the patron of the foundation that advocates for a movement that promotes values and networks of moderation for a more inclusive, sustainable and equitable society.