Civil society lost its lustre after the 14th general election by abandoning its "opposition mode" and choosing to work with the Pakatan Harapan administration instead, a forum was told last night.

"I think recent events – particularly the controversy over the International Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Icerd), leading to the (Dec 8 anti-Icerd) rally – have shown that perhaps civil society may have abandoned the so-called 'opposition mode.'

"We wanted to collaborate with the government, and we did not dare to come out too strongly (against it)," Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia (GBM) programme consultant Eugene Yapp told the forum held to examine the non-ratification of the United Nations treaty...