KUALA LUMPUR: Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) urged the government to boycott the 2020 Dubai Expo, slated to be held in October next year, in solidarity with the Palestinians who have been oppressed by Israel.
Its deputy president Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the party also urged the government to make a firm stand on the country's policy on Israel, seeing that more Arab-Muslim nations had established diplomatic relations with the state.
In a press conference in Parliament today, Salahuddin said apart from Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, now the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had also formed diplomatic relations with Israel.
"An official statement is not enough. It must be followed by an action to prove our sincerity and effort in rejecting Israel, as a sign of support to Palestinians who have been cruelly oppressed.
"Malaysia must boycott the 2020 Dubai Expo which will be held in Dubai in October next year. Israel will participate in the Expo on the invitation of the UAE.
"If Malaysia had once boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Russia, for Russia's invasion on Afghanistan, Israel had been at war and conquered Palestine for decades," he said.
He added that humanitarian consideration and Islamic ties must precede business or economic interests.
Salahuddin also claimed that the Barisan Nasional government had also once allowed an Israeli delegation to attend a week-long international convention in Kuala Lumpur, without the knowledge of the Malaysian public.
"Today, the Perikatan Nasional government who claims to be a Malay-Muslim government must prove their commitment in defending the struggles of oppressed Muslims," he added.