KUALA LUMPUR – Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has submitted a motion to the Dewan Rakyat to debate the proposed Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB) privatisation deal involving BlackRock-affiliate Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
This comes as no surprise as the Perikatan Nasional lawmaker also filed a motion to refer Transport Minister Anthony Loke to Parliament’s rights and privileges committee for allegedly misleading the lower house over MAHB’s shareholding.
“BlackRock Inc as a company is directly involved with the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Thus the sale of shares to this company violates the federal government’s stance which opposes the genocide of Palestinians,” said Wan Fayhsal latest letter to Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin.
Meanwhile, Wan Fayhsal filed another motion for the house to stop using the term “Israel” and suggested the use of “Palestine” or the “Occupied State of Palestine” instead.
He said this would “destroy the identity of the illegal state of Israel” among Malaysians.
Both motions were filed under Standing Orders 27(1) and 27(3).
The issue surrounding MAHB’s proposed deal came up on May 15 when sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd, via its wholly-owned subsidiary UEM Group Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), would lead a consortium called Gateway Development Alliance, which included GIP as one of its shareholders.
The consortium had announced a pre-conditional voluntary offer to acquire all the shares in MAHB not already owned at an offer price of RM11 per share.
Upon completion, GIP and another consortium shareholder, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), would own 30% of MAHB.
New York-based investment firm BlackRock Inc, which owns shares in weapons companies supplying arms to Israel, also owns GIP. – June 7, 2024