KUALA LUMPUR – Transport Minister Anthony Loke has refuted a Bersatu MP’s claim that sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) are in business with an Israel-linked firm.
Loke’s winding-up session to the royal debate in the Dewan Rakyat today was interrupted by Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN) who asked about a joint consortium between Khazanah and EPF with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) to take up shares in Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).
Wan Fayhsal has today reiterated his concern, as he had in the legislature last week, that New York-based investment firm BlackRock Inc, which owns shares in weapons companies supplying arms to Israel, also owns GIP.
He said this would mean Khazanah and EPF were collaborating with a pro-Israel firm, besides questioning what value GIP would bring to Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
However, Loke rebutted the opposition lawmaker, saying Wan Fayhsal was “spinning” based on assumptions.
“There has not been an announcement that we want to sell (MAHB) shares to GIP. That’s an assumption.
“Who (Khazanah) wants to make strategic partnerships with, that’s up to them. So far, there is no confirmation that Khazanah has entered into an agreement with any party.
“If there is, of course there will be an announcement. Are you satisfied? So there is no need to spin this issue anymore,” Loke said.
The minister also said the issue had never even been discussed within the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
“You can ask your party president (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin), it was never discussed in the cabinet. The issue was never raised in the cabinet,” Loke said, referring to the time when Muhyiddin and Bersatu were part of PH.
“The issue of MAHB’s equity ownership, how it wants to be strategic, does not involve the Transport Ministry. MAHB is the airport operator. The ministry is the regulator. We cannot intervene in terms of MAHB’s equity, which is up to Khazanah,” Loke added.
Wan Fayhsal raised the same issue last week in the lower House with Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin (Kimanis-BN) about BlackRock’s interests in GIP and its alleged consortium with Khazanah and EPF.
The Bersatu MP said GIP owned shares in Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman – all major weapons contractors.
Khazanah is currently a major shareholder of MAHB with an over-30% stake while EPF has about 7% equity interest in the public-listed company, which manages a total of 39 airports nationwide.
News of the potential consortium deal was previously published by The Edge, which cited sources claiming that GIP was “well known” for running airports. – March 11, 2024