Putrajaya faces mounting condemnation for letting firm owned by 'genocide-tainted' BlackRock to manage local airports

More than a dozen civil society movements have come together to condemn the government's decision to allow a company owned by a global investment firm known for its close military ties to Israel to be involved in the management of 39 Malaysian airports.

In the strongest statement yet by local pro-Palestinian groups against Putrajaya's apparent shift from a policy of zero tolerance towards Israel's current military assault, the groups called on the government to reverse its decision to allow Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a company owned by controversial US asset manager BlackRock, to participate as part of a consortium in the takeover of Malaysia Airports (MAHB), the state-controlled company that operates 39 airports nationwide.

"The Malaysian government’s commendable support for the Palestinian cause will be seen to be merely hollow words, apart from allowing strategic and national assets such as our airports to be run by parties highly sympathetic to the Zionists," said a joint statement by 15 groups including BDS Malaysia, the local chapter of the global movement to boycott Israel.

Under the plan confirmed this week, the government's investment fund Khazanah Nasional and Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will be part of a consortium to take over MAHB, in which GIP will hold a 30% share.

The groups warned that if the consortium materialised, Khazanah and EPF would be doing business with the "genocide-tainted and Zionist-supporting BlackRock".

In January, New York-based BlackRock bought GIP for US$12.5 billion, adding a company with extensive experience in managing airports around the world to its list of global investments.

BlackRock's involvement in greasing the Israeli war machine is well documented, and its New York headquarters has been the scene of protests by pro-Palestinian groups accusing the company of profiting from genocide.

The ongoing protests at US universities also targeted BlackRock, where students are demanding their universities to stop all dealings with the company because it is involved in strengthening Israel's military might, which has been used in the bombardment of Gaza that has so far killed at least 30,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.

Among the companies in which BlackRock has invested is Lockheed Martin, in which it holds a 7.4% stake.

Lockheed Martin, a US-based defence contractor with multi-billion dollar investments in the Israeli arms and aerospace industry, also recently hit the headlines in Malaysia after pro-Palestinian groups protested against its participation in Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security (Natsec) Asia in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Anwar dismisses protests

But just as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed concerns over the involvement of Lockheed Martin and other defence contractors, he has also dismissed opposition politicians' protests over BlackRock's involvement in MAHB.

“There is nothing positive from them, only inciting hatred and envy," the prime minister was quoted as saying today.

In their joint statement, the 15 groups said that BlackRock will have access to Malaysia's strategic assets through GIP's involvement.

"No ownership should be handed over to a foreign entity, much less one that has a bloody reputation like BlackRock," they said, adding that BlackRock holds massive stakes in defence companies that are part of the US military-industrial complex.

"These are the companies that make the weapons Israel uses to murder Palestinians. BlackRock has also been heavily invested in Israel, with operations there since 2016," the statement continued.

BlackRock's continued investments in Israel make the company complicit in Israel's genocidal policies against the Palestinians, it said.

"BlackRock has rightly been the target of Palestinian solidarity campaigns worldwide.

"In solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for justice and freedom, we demand the Malaysian government immediately reverse the decision to include genocide-supporting BlackRock in any business arrangement for MAHB."