Anwar vows Malaysia airports operator management ‘will be Malaysians’

The management and ownership of Malaysia’s airports operator will remain in Malaysian hands following a plan to take it private, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday, amid protests against a bid that includes foreign investors.

A consortium led by Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd and state pension fund the Employees Provident Fund announced on May 15 an offer to take Malaysia Airports Holdings private, in a deal that would value the airport operator at US$3.9 billion.

The consortium also includes the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Global Infrastructure Partners, which is in the process of being acquired by US fund manager BlackRock.
The BlackRock logo is pictured outside the US fund manager’s headquarters in New York. Photo: Reuters
The privatisation plan has faced criticism and protests from some ruling party and opposition lawmakers in Muslim-majority Malaysia, a staunch supporter of the Palestinian people, over BlackRock’s significant investments in Israel, which is fighting a war against the militant Hamas group in Gaza.