Cancel Boeing contract, pro-Palestinian groups tell govt

 

The Malaysia Aviation Group said it is buying 30 Boeing aircraft, set for delivery by 2030. (Reuters pic)

PETALING JAYA: 

A group of NGOs has called on the government to cancel its planned purchase of Boeing aircraft and halt all engagements with the company for its alleged complicity in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.

The NGOs said the recent agreement by Khazanah Nasional Bhd subsidiary Malaysia Aviation Group to purchase 30 Boeing aircraft contradicted the government’s long-standing support for Palestinian rights and its opposition to Israeli aggression.

“Malaysia cannot claim to stand with Palestine while enriching a corporation that arms its oppressors,” the NGOs, led by Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia, said in a joint statement today.

The other NGOs are Sekretariat Solidariti Palestin, Palestine Centre of Excellence, Muslim Care Malaysia, and Cakna Palestin.

Last Friday, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that MAG, which operates national carrier Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, has ordered 30 Boeing 737 aircraft.

The planes, comprising 18 Boeing 737-8s and 12 Boeing 737-10s, will be delivered by 2030.

The NGOs said allowing a company that supplies arms to Israel to profit through such agreements undermines Malaysia’s credibility.

It also gives the impression that the country prioritises economic interests over human rights, they said.

“By engaging in business with Boeing, Malaysia is indirectly supporting a company that profits from apartheid, mass murder, and war crimes,” they said.

In a statement on June 20 last year, the United Nations Human Rights Council specifically identified Boeing as one of the companies supplying weapons to Israel, which fuelled a deadly military campaign.

Two weeks ago, UN experts accused Israel of committing “genocidal acts” via the systematic destruction of maternal and reproductive healthcare facilities.

Last year, the experts also labelled the war in Gaza a genocide. - FMT