Activist begins indefinite hunger strike over Blackrock issue

A pro-Palestinian activist today began his hunger strike to protest the sale of Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) shares to a Blackrock-linked company.

M Mythreyar, from Tanjung Malim, Perak, said he will continue the hunger strike until the government cancels the offer.

“This is my first time doing the strike, so I am trying my best. This is my last chance to convince our government since I don’t have any other avenues,” he said.

The 46-year-old began his strike in front of the Parliament building this morning before moving to Dataran Merdeka due to bad weather.

Last week, Mythreyar announced the hunger strike plan.

Before the strike, he also joined silent protests in front of KLCC and the Mandarin Hotel and slept for seven days near the US embassy.

Although Mythreyar had initially planned to start his strike on Monday, he later postponed it to today due to weather conditions and arrangements to stay at night.

Solo quest

While he may be conducting the hunger strike alone, Mythreyar said he is accompanied by other activists, including those from Sekretariat Solidarity Palestine (SSP) and Gegar Amerika.

“Besides the other activists, who are also my friends, (former Batu MP) Tian Chua also visited me.

“I plan to stay at Dataran Merdeka for now and, depending on my energy for tomorrow, I will try to walk to Parliament again,” he said.

Last week, Deputy Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan said Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) had expressed readiness to become a minority shareholder in MAHB and is prepared to relinquish its stake within a short period.

He also mentioned that GIP was chosen based on strict criteria, including the willingness to appoint Malaysian citizens as the chairperson and managing director of MAHB.

GIP is in the process of being acquired by Blackrock as its fully-owned subsidiary. The acquisition is expected to be completed in the third quarter of this year.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | MAHB deal: What is GIP and is it linked to Israel?

GIP has said its existing leadership team will retain full control of the company and companies it has invested in after the acquisition by Blackrock is complete.

Blackrock is the world’s largest asset management company and has come under criticism for investing in companies that supply weapons to Israel.

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