KUALA LUMPUR: All Malaysian airports will continue to be government assets, with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) serving as the operator and manager.
Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said the government would also continue to hold golden shares in MAHB, granting authority to appoint the chairman or managing director, who must be a Malaysian citizen.
He said this during his ministry's explanation in the Parliament special chambers today.
"The claims made that foreigners will take over the management of the country's airports is not true.
"The management of MAHB will not be taken over by foreigners and it will continue to be controlled by the government.
"The safety aspects (of the airports) also remains the government's responsibility and this includes the control of entry and exit of foreign nationals which is under the responsibility of the Immigration Department and cannot be interfered with by external parties," he said.
Amir Hamzah explained that under the MAHB consortium agreement involving Khazanah Nasional Bhd and the Employee Provident Fund (EPF), foreign consortium partners would not manage MAHB.
"Therefore, there is no basis to claim that foreign nationals will take over the management of MAHB," he said.
He noted that MAHB had been listed on Bursa Malaysia since November 1999, allowing any party to buy or sell shares.
However, the consortium led by Khazanah and EPF aims to strengthen their hold by increasing their share from 41 per cent to 70 per cent, with foreign partners holding only 30 per cent.
"Foreign consortium partners Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia) will only have minor MAHB shares of 30 per cent.
"(And) the government stance is firm in safeguarding the interests of strategic national asset ownership. Only GIP is deemed qualified under the established criteria where it is ready to invest, become a minority stakeholder, contribute expertise, and release ownership over an appropriate time frame.
"Their expertise, success and experience in optimising efficiency levels at airports are needed to enhance the competitiveness and efficiency of our country's airports," he said.
At the same time, Amir Hamzah also reiterated that Malaysia was firm in not allowing Israeli-owned companies to operate in the country, although it had never prevented any company from investing here.
He said this was demonstrated through the ban of Israeli shipping company ZIM from docking in Malaysian waters since last December.
"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Cabinet on the international platform tirelessly speak out and demand from world leaders, including major powers, to immediately stop the Israeli regime's atrocities against Palestinians.
"Malaysia also voices its firmness at the United Nations meetings to ensure Palestine receives the status of a member country, besides fully supporting ceasefire resolutions and consistently channelling humanitarian aid to Gaza."