In a statement today, Wee said this was not only a sign of disrespect to women but would also set back the state’s economy and social development.

With this move and the recent ban on female singers in temples, Wee said Terengganu menteri besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar had deviated from his image of being one of the more “open-minded” leaders in PAS.

According to Malaysiakini, Terengganu State Gymnastics Association president Abdul Razak Mat Amin confirmed that only male gymnasts would be sent to Sukma, scheduled to take place in Sarawak from Aug 17-24.

Other Perikatan Nasional-led states, including Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis, will have both male and female athletes representing them in gymnastics.

“Terengganu and other PAS-led states have fallen far behind other states in terms of economy and social development.

“This is not a coincidence. Instead, this has everything to do with how the states are being governed,” Wee said.

The Tanjung Piai MP also said Terengganu’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 was RM36.9 billion, ranked second-last in the country just above that of Perlis.

In contrast, Wee said the Barisan Nasional-led Johor had a GDP of RM151 billion.

“This clearly shows that conservative governance not only fails to drive economic development but also causes the development of the state to stagnate.”

Wee added that an “increasingly conservative environment” would eventually lead to a decrease in foreign investments and a decline in the state’s tourism industry.

Earlier this month, the Kuala Terengganu City Council sent a directive to the Guan Di temple, saying that female singers were prohibited from performing at its jubilee celebration from July 29 to Aug 2.

In October last year, it was reported that several Muslim female gymnasts from Terengganu had retired from the sport altogether after the state government banned women from gymnastic events.