An Open Letter from BDS Malaysia to Mr Balaji Srinivasan, Founder of Network School
Mr Balaji Srinivasan,
We have read your statement regarding the current public discussion on Network School. Allow us to respond with equal clarity.
Your letter measures success in investment, technological advancement and economic growth. Ours measures success by a different standard: justice, human dignity and moral responsibility.
You ask whether the global technology community should continue investing in Malaysia. We ask a far more fundamental question: Should any nation abandon its moral principles in exchange for economic gain?
You describe your vision as one of peace, trade and international cooperation.
We believe that genuine peace cannot be built while Palestinians continue to live under military occupation, apartheid and genocide. Trade without justice is not peace. Prosperity built upon the normalisation of oppression is not progress.
You argue that Network School has created jobs, attracted investment and contributed to the local economy. Even if every one of those claims were accepted, we ask: Is everything quantifiable?
Our answer is no.
Investment may be measured in financial returns, but justice, conscience and human dignity are measured by the principles we uphold and refuse to compromise.
The implication that Malaysia should reconsider its principled position in pursuit of investment presents a false choice. Nations do not have to choose between economic prosperity and moral integrity. Our solidarity with Palestine cannot be exchanged for economic incentives.
Malaysia’s unwavering solidarity with Palestine is an expression of who we are as a nation. It reflects our rejection of apartheid, occupation and genocide, and our refusal to normalise relations with a state that continues to violate international law with impunity.
For this reason, any credible concerns regarding the presence of Israeli nationals or any links to institutions that facilitate the normalisation of Israel deserve serious and transparent scrutiny.
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement was founded on a simple moral principle: those who profit from, enable or normalise the injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people must be held accountable through peaceful, non-violent means. This principle is not directed against innovation, entrepreneurship or foreign investment. It is directed against complicity.
Some things are worth more than money.
Justice is not for sale.
Conscience is not for sale.
Palestine solidarity is not for sale.
BDS Malaysia
17 July 2026