ENTER ANWAR'S BLACKROCK DEAL, DEATH OF DEMOCRACY IN MALAYSIA? - "HOPE THE ZIONIST MONEY IS WORTH IT", KHAIRY SCOLDS BLACKROCK STOOGES - AFTER MP SUSPENDED FOR DARING QUESTIONS ON DEAL
Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!
KUALA LUMPUR (politicsnowmy.blogspot.com) - Embattled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appears to be running scared on a much-opposed RM18billion deal that will hand a unit of sinister US asset manager BlackRock some 30% control over Malaysia's key air infrastructure including almost all the airports and runway infrastructure in the country, their radar systems, passenger lists and perhaps including landing rights and passenger lists.
Not that the 76-year-old Anwar is thinking about backing off the deal but instead he is digging in - perhaps in all the wrong ways - by further clamping down on an opposition MP, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, for raising the issue and doggedly questioning the takeover deal with BlackRock - a known supplier of deadly arms and weapons to Israel even as the conflict in Palestine exacts greater bloodshed and carnage by the day.
"Clearly, he's getting to you. BlackRock stooges. Hope the Zionist money is worth it," former Health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a scathing no-holds-barred post on social media following the move by MPs aligned to Anwar to suspend Fayhsal from Parliament for six months.
"Cowards. You make fun of him saying he is jargon, clueless. In the end you abuse your legislative might to throw him out for six months," Khairy raged on.
SWELLING PUBLIC REJECTION FOR DEAL
Khairy was not the only one shocked at the panic shown by the Anwar regime as public objection to the deal swelled, especially among the Malays who not only see it as an act of betrayal against the Muslim world but also, along with the non-Malays in the country, fear such a move will impinge on national security and tie up Malaysia's hands in the event of any conflict by the US against China or Russia.
Indeed, the secrecy shrouding the deal which was denied several times by the government before Anwar, who is also Finance minister, gave the final green light has triggered concerns about corruption and speculation about the ulterior motives over why Anwar would want to pander to the US and play its 'poster boy' or 'barking dog' in the region, which already includes Philippines' President Marcos Junior.
“The august House, which is a legislative forum, should know this… death of democracy!” said Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, a lawyer for another opposition party Pejuang that is led by former premier Mahathir Mohamad.
A total of 110 government MPs had voted in favour of suspending Fayhsal, while 63 voted against the motion tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said. Three MPs abstained while 46 were absent.
Not only was the haste and ruthlessness in which Fayhsal, the Machang MP, was ejected breath-taking but he was not given the chance to defend himself by both Azalina and the speaker of Parliament, a senior leader in Anwar's PKR party.
“I will not surrender in fighting,” Fayhsal declared before his microphone was abruptly cut off.
FOR NAJIB IT WAS 1MDB - FOR ANWAR, WILL IT BE BLACKROCK?
The dust is expected to settle harshly on the Anwar administration, which is becoming more unpopular by the day. That MPs from the mainly Malay opposition bloc had spontaneously recited the “Qunut Nazilah” prayer, which is usually read when Muslims are met with misfortune, reflects how deeply Fayhsal's suspension will cut into the Malay psyche.
"There will be hell for Anwar to pay for this from Malay voters. They will see it as cruelty and shift their political support even more to the opposition parties like Bersatu and Pas," an analyst told PoliticsNow!
"If before there was cynicism for the deal among both Malays and non-Malays alike, now it's like almost confirming their suspicions that there are indeed huge question marks that Anwar wants to avoid. But instead of gagging criticism, I believe it has only opened the floodgates that the BlackRock deal is too dubious and must be stopped. Just like Najib Razak was kicked out as prime minister over the 1MDB debacle, BlackRock might well turn into Anwar's guillotine."
"GETTING ABSOLUTELY CRAZY"
On July 1, Fayhsal had referred to an anonymous letter that had gone viral on social media claiming that an official in national pension fund EPF had actively pushed for the deal with GIP, a unit owned by BlackRock - instead of as let on to the public by the Anwar regime that it was GIP that had initiated the move.
EPF along with government investment agency Khazanah and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are the other parties in a four-member joint-venture led by GIP to take over the Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, a government-linked monopoly.
"Many EPF employees are afraid to speak up. They don’t want to be part of this Madani deal where MAHB shares are to be sold to GIP-BlackRock," Fayhsal had said, referring to Anwar's Madani slogan for his government.
However, Anwar's office took umbrage at this and on the rather weak basis that Fayhsal had slandered a civil servant in Parliament when he named the EPF employee as identified in the anonymous letter, had sought a motion to bar him from the House.
"The Machang MP's allegations are an attack on the dignity of the staff of the agency under the ministry who have worked tirelessly to help the administration develop Malaysia. He has made serious allegations and accusations and acted in a manner that can spark ill-feelings towards the authority of the government," said Azalina in her letter to the speaker.
EVEN HAMAS TOOK A SWIPE AT ANWAR
Anwar has been repeatedly forced to defend his MAHB decision, saying the government could not cut ties with companies that have relations with Israel, adding that such a move would also "affect the country's economy".
Anwar had also boldly claimed that Hamas leaders had no problem with Malaysia doing business with pro-Israel companies.
This turned out to be a false presumption as on the same day he made the remarks, Hamas released a statement calling on Muslim countries and Palestinian sympathizers to continue boycotting the Israeli state and its supporters.
The in-you-face statement from Hamas, seen as a swipe against Anwar's BlackRock hypocrisy, also added that that the ongoing global campaign had so far achieved "significant accomplishments in undermining Israel's economy, isolating it, and delegitimizing it".
"I also think this is getting absolutely crazy," Tian Chua, the spokesman for the Palestine Solidarity Secretariat in Malaysia, told PoliticsNow! His secretariat has urged Anwar to "U-turn" on the BlackRock deal, revealing that it is not too late as suggested many in Anwar's finance ministry.
Written by Stan Lee, PoliticsNow!
https://politicsnowmy.blogspot.com/
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