Khairy confident Umno will object to Blackrock deal if brought to cabinet

Former Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin said he is confident that Umno ministers would not agree to the takeover of Malaysian Airlines Holdings Berhad (MAHB) by the firm Blackrock, which is accused of supporting Palestinian genocide.

“I want to be kind to my friends from Umno. I am sure if this matter is brought to the cabinet I am sure the Umno ministers will object.

“If it is brought to the cabinet, will Khazanah be allowed to sell to Blackrock? The Umno ministers I know will not agree to it,” he said after attending the “Reject Blackrock” forum organised by the Palestine Solidarity Secretariat (SSP) in Kuala Lumpur tonight.

He said this when asked why there was no action from cabinet members regarding the issue of MAHB’s takeover by Blackrock.

Commenting further, Khairy who is a former minister, said most of the time Khazanah Nasional affairs are not discussed in the cabinet.

“I don’t think this thing was even put before the cabinet, because there is usually no need for Khazanah issues to be brought to the cabinet.

“It was decided by Khazanah’s board of directors and relayed to Khazanah’s management. If it involves something that will affect government policy, then the cabinet should be informed,” he said.

‘Allowing Blackrock means complicity’

Khairy went on to claim that to allow Blackrock to own MAHB shares would be akin to the Malaysian government abetting the genocide in Palestine.

“We are not stopping the takeover of MAHB shares by any company. We are only objecting to Blackrock because many other private equity companies can do this business.

He claimed that it is very clear Blackrock plays a part in the genocide in Palestine since its owner is a Zionist who openly supports Israel’s attacks on Palestine and criticises Hamas.

“I believe this deal (sale of shares) is being done now on the basis of good intentions, but do we need Blackrock? You give moral support to Palestine, but you allow Blackrock?

“But, to Anwar Ibrahim, as chairman of Khazanah, finance minister and prime minister, if you allow Blackrock, it means you are talking about genocide in Palestine,” he said in front of more than 200 attendees at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.

Also present at the forum were former foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah, former PKR leader Tian Chua, representatives of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions for Malaysia (BDS Malaysia) movement and Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

Previously, a consortium consisting of a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) had announced a plan to buy MAHB’s shares and turn it into a private company.

Khazanah and EPF defended the acquisition as a step to increase the competitiveness of Malaysian airports.

Khazanah’s Managing Director, Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir, also stressed that Blackrock has yet to obtain GIP.

This is despite Blackrock announcing in January that it had fully acquired GIP and is expected to finalise the deal by the third quarter of this year, which is between July and September.

Dr M: Why sell shares of profit-making MAHB to foreign firm?

COMMENT | Boycotts and MAHB: Black money, bad privatisation

Why boycott Blackrock but not Apple? BDS answers Zafrul

Zaid throws sarcastic riposte at Zafrul over Blackrock

Blackrock takeover of GIP not yet final, Khazanah boss argues

Khazanah, EPF bosses say MAHB takeover will boost competitiveness