KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke has today told a group of pro-Palestine protesters to “find the right address” if they wish to oppose the proposed takeover of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

The Seremban MP said his ministry is not involved with the takeover bid, and they should direct their dissatisfaction to government-linked investment firms Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) instead.

“Actually they got the wrong door and they were not supposed to go to the Transport Ministry because the decision wasn’t made by the ministry.

“I have stated about this many times and I think the MP didn’t get it. If they want to send a memorandum, they need to find the right place,” Loke told the press, referring to Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal who also joined the protest.

“If they want to submit a memorandum, they should have submitted it to Khazanah. Not to the ministry,” he added.

Loke further asserted that the ministry is a regulator and has no control over MAHB’s choice to cooperate with any joint venture.

Earlier today, the Palestine Solidarity Secretariat (SSP) — which had previously held a picket in front of the United States embassy here — demonstrated in front of the Transport Ministry in Putrajaya over MAHB’s takeover proposal.

Leading the protest and memorandum submission was the long-time activist and SSP spokesman Chua Tian Chang or Tian Chua, formerly a PKR vice-president.

MAHB and EPF are already stakeholders in MAHB, but wish to raise their stakes in a proposal that entails a takeover through a consortium that includes two other funds: Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia).

New York-headquartered GIP is a leading infrastructure investor that specialises in investing in owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure as well as the water and waste management sectors.

The move has been opposed by some parties as GIP is owned by BlackRock, reported as the world’s biggest asset manager with huge investments directly in Israel.

Among companies the fund invests in are Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, and General Dynamics — firms that are said to manufacture weapons and vehicles that are used in Israel’s brutal military campaign against Palestinians.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim issued a stern response to claims that a pro-Zionist fund would own a stake in MAHB if the privatisation bid goes through, calling it a “baseless” allegation aimed at inciting anger towards his government.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/05/23/find-the-right-address-to-khazanah-if-you-want-to-oppose-mahb-takeover-transport-minister-tells-pro-palestine-protesters/136071