Malaysia proposes to change OIC name

Malaysia, which has taken over the chairmanship of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) following the organization's summit this Oct.16-18, said it will consult other member states on changing the grouping's name in order to keep with current developments.

Malaysian Foreign Minister, Syed Hamid Albar, said on Saturday Malaysia wants to give substance to the 57-member organisation which was set up in 1969.

"Now it's called OIC, the Organisation of the Islamic Conference... I think it's no longer suitable," he told reporters.

"One approach is to get the views of the other members on whether we should change our name to take cognizance of the current situation so as to show that it is really an organization or network for cooperation and not just for holding conferences," he said.

This change is in line with the agreement of the OIC leaders to continue with the comprehensive study on the OIC secretariat as contained in the Putrajaya Declaration issued at the conclusion of the 10th OIC Summit in Putrajaya, he said.

The head of the Malaysian diplomacy hoped that the current consultants appointed for the review of the OIC secretariat would be able to submit a report including recommendations to the OIC foreign ministers meeting in Istanbul next year.

We hope that the consultants will include in their report all these recommendations and see their suitability or otherwise, because any changes will require the changing of the charter. We have to get consensus. It's not easy to get the consensus of 57 countries, he went on.

The review of the OIC secretariat is one of 12 measures in the action plan to be taken by the OIC to strengthen its position to face the challenges in the world.