Bersatu’s Wan Fayhsal given 6-month suspension from Dewan

The Machang MP was suspended for referencing a poison-pen letter when touching on Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s privatisation deal.

(FMT) – Bersatu’s Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has been suspended from the Dewan Rakyat for six months for referencing a poison-pen letter naming the alleged mastermind of the Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) privatisation deal.

The motion to suspend Wan Fayhsal was tabled by law and institutional reform minister Azalina Othman Said.

He was suspended after a bloc vote in which 110 MPs voted in favour of the motion and 63 voted against it. Three MPs abstained while 46 were absent.

Wan Fayhsal is said to have referred to the letter when debating the Suhakam report in the Dewan Rakyat earlier this month.

He had named an EPF employee as being allegedly involved in the takeover and cited the negative treatment of the employee’s subordinates.

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority are poised to take up a 30% stake in MAHB through a consortium led by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which will own 40%, and EPF, which will own 30%.

Several quarters have objected to the deal as GIP will be acquired in the third quarter of this year by global investment firm BlackRock, which allegedly has connections to Israel and its military.

However, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that GIP was chosen from among other companies as it had accepted the condition that the chairman and CEO of MAHB must be Malaysian.

GIP has said BlackRock is not involved in the deal. Khazanah also maintains that GIP will not be involved in the management of the airport operator.