MALAYSIA stands firmly with its decision not to allow Israeli para swimmers into the country, said Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, in response to the country losing the rights to host the world meet.

The youth and sports minister said the government’s decision to bar Israeli para swimmers was made on humane grounds in support of the Palestinian people.

“We will not compromise,” Syed Saddiq said in a statement issued today.

He added that if hosting an international sporting event was more important than standing up for Palestinians, that meant Malaysia has truly lost its moral compass.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today stripped Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.

“We would like to kindly remind the IPC that even Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported that the (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu government is an active perpetrator of war crimes.

“As the leader of Israel, he represents the collective will of the Israeli government. The Israeli state is the locus of their collective moral actions.

“Malaysia stands firmly with our decision on the ground of humanity and compassion for the Palestinian plight,” he said.

Around 600 swimmers from 60 nations had been expected to take part in the event in Kuching, with more than 160 world titles up for grabs.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Malaysia would not allow Israeli Paralympic swimmers to enter the country for the championships. – January 27, 2019.