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Malaysia’s Anwar under pressure to ditch airport deal with BlackRock entity over Israel arms links
- Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim accused of ignoring public sentiments by roping in a firm with perceived ties to Israel to run the country’s airports
- Critics urge Anwar, a vocal advocate of the Palestinian cause, to shun business deals with entities that ‘support genocide’
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Malaysia’s government is under pressure to drop an entity owned by American investment giant BlackRock from a plan to take the country’s largest airport operator private, as critics question the inclusion of a company with major stakes in arms manufacturers supplying Israel, which is engaged in an ongoing war on Gaza.
Malaysia has been among the most vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause since the onset of the war in the blockaded enclave last October, which has so far killed nearly 36,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health authorities.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has frequently criticised Israel’s bombardments of the territory and the United States’ continued diplomatic and military support of its Middle Eastern ally.
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But the opposition and civil society groups say Anwar and his administration had failed to back up tough words with actions, after a consortium that includes UK-based Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) – bought by BlackRock in January – announced on May 15 a voluntary offer to acquire all shares of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
“As the world knows, BlackRock is the main financier for arms companies that supply weapons that enable the genocide in Gaza,” Chua Tian Chang of the Palestine Solidarty Secretariat said on Thursday at a rally outside Kuala Lumpur.
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“At this critical juncture, national assets are going to be handed over to foreign elements that go against the aspirations of the people of Malaysia.”
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