PM: Sounds good, but not realistic to cancel all Israel-related deals

PARLIAMENT | It may sound good to cancel all deals with Israel-linked companies such as Apple and Microsoft, but it is not realistic, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.

In his defence of the planned Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB) takeover involving Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Anwar said a distinction must be drawn between Israel-linked and Israel-based companies.

“Our decision was on Israel (owned) companies. Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia, all have Israel’s interests, so should we cancel (our deals with them)?

“It sounds good for people to hear, but it is not realistic,” he told the Dewan Rakyat where opposition leaders Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut), Muhyiddin Yassin (PN-Pagoh) and Abdul Hadi Awang (PN-Marang) were notably absent.

The prime minister was referring to the government’s decision to prohibit Israeli companies from operating in the country.

On June 22, Apple opened its first retail store in Malaysia.

‘Govt still owns MAHB’

The controversy over MAHB erupted on May 15, when Khazanah Nasional Berhad announced that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and GIP - through GIP Aurea Pte Ltd - would form a consortium to acquire shares in the airport operator.

The decision courted flak from various quarters after it was found that Blackrock, a company deemed to have close ties with Israel, is acquiring GIP.

However, Anwar dismissed concerns of national security being compromised, saying that the deal would not involve Blackrock.

“Security concerns never arose because it (MAHB) is still owned by the government,” he said.

This is because Khazanah and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will still own 70 percent of MAHB, he explained.

Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal repeated his concerns, which he expressed yesterday, that the deal was politically biased in the United States’ favour.

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