A former MSNBC presenter and now a columnist for the Guardian newspaper, Mehdi said Anwar was “very keen to sell the vision of Malaysia as a Muslim-majority yet multicultural and multireligious country”.

“But, can it be a model in the region and beyond?”

However, he said Malaysia deserves credit for its relatively harmonious ties between the different ethnic communities. While the country has not been free of struggles in terms of ethnic relations, he believes that Malaysia’s aspirations are in the right direction.

“It’s clearly challenging. But look, I’m from the US, where racial tensions are bad right now. If things go badly in a few months because of the presidential elections, we could be in a civil war.

“I don’t think Malaysia is on the verge of a civil war, so for that, give yourself a pat on the back,” he said at a tea party in conjunction with a human capital conference and exhibition to be held from Sept 30 to Oct 2.

Asked about campaigns for LGBT rights and gender equality, Mehdi said political leaders who champion human rights on the world stage should ensure equality within their own countries, to avoid being seen as hypocrites.

“Whether it is the president of the US or the prime minister of Malaysia, I think it’s very easy to criticise other people (but) you actually need to look at (your own) home,” he said. “My position on politics is always examine yourself, don’t be a hypocrite.”