FOR a full week in February, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) area was out-of-bounds to ordinary Malaysians save for those who earned right of United Nations access to attend the ninth World Urban Forum (WUF9) held on 7-13 Feb. 2018.

During that one week duration in Kuala Lumpur, the barriers were up and the convention space was UN territory – which meant access was open to all attendees with the temporary lifting of any immigration restrictions imposed by the home country organising the event. That led to the ticklish political frisson stirred by the spectre of Israeli presence in Malaysia.

Curiously, the backlash erupted after the jamboree ended and only after the 'gatecrashing guests’ thumbed up their noses at their hosts by cheekily splashing their exploits – capturing their trip outside the confines of UN-territory of KLCC – on social media. Apparently, one of their diplomats skived off to investigate how Israeli technological tentacles have been embraced by unsuspecting or ignorant subscribers amongst taxi drivers plying KL’s confusing city roads – courtesy of Waze.

Click here to read our full interview with the President of World ENABLED, Dr. Victor Pineda on AWANI Review.