KUALA LUMPUR – Stop misleading other lawmakers and the public over Israel-linked BlackRock Inc’s ownership of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), said Howard Lee (Ipoh Timur-PH).
This came after Datuk Awang Hashim (Pendang-PN) made claims in the Dewan Rakyat that BlackRock had fully acquired GIP.
In response, Lee urged the Speaker to order Awang to retract his statements, invoking Standing Order 36(12), which said MPs cannot issue statements that mislead the lower House.
“Speaker, ask him to retract the statement. It is known that the sale (of GIP) has yet to happen. Don’t use his privilege to lie and mislead the public. This is the tactic of the opposition,” Lee said during a debate on the Auditor-General’s Report.
In January, BlackRock’s acquisition of GIP will only be finalised in the third quarter of this year.
This is not the first time that the Ipoh Timur MP took issue with the claims made by opposition MPs in Dewan Rakyat.
On July 1, Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (Sik-PN) said BlackRock’s acquisition of GIP contradicted Malaysia’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, having declared its commitment to the human rights of Palestinians.
This led Lee to accuse the Sik lawmaker of attempting to incite “hateful sentiments” in Dewan Rakyat.
Earlier, it was announced that GIP and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority had offered to take up a 30% stake in MAHB through the consortium Gateway Development Alliance which is led by national sovereign fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).
The two Malaysian entities will own the golden share in the consortium, which will be led by Malaysians.
These were among the strict conditions Khazanah had imposed, which were accepted by GIP, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim previously said when explaining the MAHB privatisation deal that had come under intense criticism for links to BlackRock. – July 9, 2024