KUALA LUMPUR – Employees Provident Fund (EPF) staff are afraid to speak out against the deal for BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) to buy stakes in Malaysia Airport Holdings Bhd (MAHB), a Bersatu lawmaker claimed in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN) cited a poison-pen letter he claimed he received, which purportedly named an EPF official who was actively pushing the MAHB deal, in which GIP and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) will co-own 30% of shares in the airport operator.
“I got a ‘surat layang’ from someone in EPF on who is the real mastermind pushing the deal. He is involved in the sale of MAHB shares to GIP-BlackRock.
“Many staff in EPF don’t dare to voice out. They don’t want to be part of this Madani deal to sell MAHB shares to GIP-BlackRock,” Wan Fayhsal said during the debate on Suhakam’s annual report and financial statement for 2021 and 2022 today.
He also said BlackRock was named in a recent statement by the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, which said financial institutions investing in weapons firms should be called to account.
Wan Fayhsal, who has been attacking the MAHB deal since it was announced earlier this year, reiterated the same criticisms he had raised previously, citing BlackRock’s continuing support of Israel which has reportedly killed over 37,000 people in Gaza since the Zionist state began its war on Hamas on October 7 last year.
He said the matter should be referred to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said prolonged discussions on the MAHB deal should cease as the government has already explained that Malaysian entities, Khazanah Nasional and EPF, will still own the golden share in MAHB, which will continue to be led by Malaysians.
Anwar has also said Khazanah’s talks with GIP for the MAHB deal began under the previous government, while GIP’s head of transport Phil Iley has said BlackRock was not involved in the deal as it had just announced it was taking over GIP in January this year, with the transaction to be completed only in the third quarter of 2024. – July 1, 2024