Lifeline4Gaza president Dr Noorazman Mohd Samsuddin who is leading a group of Malaysian volunteers on the Freedom Flotilla II humanitarian mission today denied there was political interference in the mission.

He said the participation of Rembau member of Parliament Khairy Jamaluddin, who is also Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) Youth chief, in the mission was to represent the Malaysian Parliament and not the political party he was from.

“This mission is a struggle together with international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from the world over and there is no politics involved from any group,” he said before leaving for Athens, Greece, yesterday to go on the mission.

Noorazman said invitations were issued to both BN and Pakatan Rakyat to join the humanitarian mission, but only Khairy agreed.

Earlier, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad from PAS was reported to have pulled out of the mission because he felt there was interference from Umno and BN.

    

Khairy, meanwhile, said the humanitarian mission should not be politicised as it was organised by an NGO and not by BN.

“I was invited as a member of parliament as other countries also have their parliamentarians in the mission,” he said.

Ten Malaysians including journalists are among more than 1,000 volunteers from over 600 NGOs worldwide taking part in the mission. They will travel to the Gaza waters in 13 vessels.

Three of the vessels are cargo ships which will carry humanitarian aid such as medicines, school stationery and construction materials like cement for the 1.5 million Palestinians.

- Bernama