KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 ― New chief executive of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation (GMMF)  Nasharudin Mat Isa has brushed off claims that he held extremist and conservative views during his tenure as PAS deputy president, saying that the principles of moderation was an issue he always championed and believed in.

Acknowledging that his appointment as GMMF came as a surprise, Nasharudin said that being moderate does not mean that an individual should allow their principles to be compromised.

“For example, you let someone challenge the supremacy of the law or the position of certain articles in the Constitution.

“When this happens, it means you are compromising your principles. Yes, we are moderate in our principles, but GMM needs to be a principles-based movement,” The Star Online quoted him as saying.

During his time in PAS, Nasharudin broke ranks with other party leaders when he had openly attacked former Bersih chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan over the Bersih 3 rally back in 2012.

He was also alleged to have been among key PAS leaders in support of forming a unity government with Umno.

“If my political background is taken into account, I would not be appointed because I am still a card-carrying PAS member.

“In GMM, we would like to focus on nation-building at the international level, and this is what I am here for,” he said.

Nasharudin replaced Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah as GMMF chief when the latter vacated the position after quitting Umno to join PKR.

Nasharudin was PAS’s deputy president from 2008 to 2013 before he was defeated by Mohamad Sabu.

Nasharudin had also served as Yan MP from 1999 to 2004, is currently a fellow of Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) and a member of the Council of Islamic Chinese Relations (CICR).

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak 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.