Senior Conservative parliamentarians this week deplored Malaysia’s decision to ban Israeli para athletes from competing in the World Para Swimming Championships.
CFI’s Parliamentary Chairman in the House of Lords, Rt. Hon. The Lord Pickles, tabled a series of written parliamentary questions in response to Malaysia’s “lamentable” decision.
Lord Pickles stated that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s defence of historic antisemitic remarks (including “hook nose” and “instinctive sense of money”) at the Oxford Union last week “raise serious questions about Malaysia’s suitability to host” the competition.
In his written parliamentary questions, Lord Pickles encouraged the UK Government to make representations to the International Paralympic Committee about Malaysia’s suitability to host the competition and seeks additional reassurance for the safety of British athletes and travellers visiting Malaysia. Read Lord Pickles’s full statement here.
In Foreign Office Questions on Tuesday, Tom Pursglove MP condemned the ban as a “retrograde step”, at a time “when relations are improving greatly between Israel and many countries around the world”.
In his response, Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Rt. Hon. Mark Field MP called Malaysia’s decision “fundamentally wrong”, adding that he would be raising the issue with senior Malaysian officials “as a matter of urgency”. Click here to watch the full exchange.
Lee Rowley MP and Douglas Ross MP tabled written questions to ask the Foreign Secretary what representations he has made to his Malaysian counterpart on the issue.
