KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak said his proposed second National Consultative Council (NCC2) needs government support.

The son of former prime minister Tun Abdul Razak said the government has been divided on supporting his proposal, but hoped they would fully back it eventually.

"You cannot have a truly representative platform without the ruling party represented. So, I do not see a path without the support of the government.

"Some component parties of the ruling coalition have openly supported the idea, I hope that others will too. It is normal for incumbents to resist radical change ideas, but I am hopeful," Nazir told Malay Mail Online in a recent interview.

The banker insisted that the government led by his brother, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, should "go beyond the arena of competitive politics" to rebuild the nation, amid the political fallout from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.

Nazir also said the council would also prohibit politicians from playing up the racial or religious card to secure votes.

"Recent events have brought urgency to the NCC2 idea because the political fallout from the 1MDB debacle has led to a serious erosion of trust in the government and key institutions. When competition for power gets intense and the absence of trust amplifies the intensity, the stakes tend to get too high.

"Politicians will be tempted to resort to extremes and in our case, amplify our racial and religious differences. At that point it becomes dangerous as we have witnessed in the past. We are not there yet of course but there are ominous signs, in my opinion," he added.

The original NCC, which produced the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970, was no longer valid as it had been abused and was not in tune with the requirements of the current socio-political parameters, Nazir explained.

"It is now 46 years old, out-of-date and being abused to mask all sorts of unhealthy practices. Economic drivers today are also so different — for instance, talent and entrepreneurship are crucial, yet the NEP is skewed to advancing the role of government and arguably the interest of big business," he said.

"Talent for instance, has become the preeminent economic driver in this new era, and yet the socio-political conditions in Malaysia are not conducive to developing and retaining the best Malaysian talents, what more attracting top foreign talents.

"You can't resolve our talent issues without addressing its socio-political dimensions, including the thorny issue of vernacular and national schools," Nazir explained.

The NCC2 is to be a "creation of a platform that attracts the right people and representation, and garners the trust and confidence of the public" which can be formed by either the government, Parliament or an independent group, said Nazir.

Nazir previously suggested that it fall under the Conference of Rulers to ensure its trustworthiness and to prevent it from being misused.

The original NCC was mooted by Nazir's father in the 1970s after racial infighting which threatened to ruin the nation.