This comes after Khazanah and EPF on Wednesday confirmed their plan to take over MAHB through a consortium and privatise the airport operator.

Loke said he stood by the statement he made in Parliament, and that Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, who made the initial claim, had incorrect information.

“He (Wan Fayhsal) said we were selling (our stake). We are not. Khazanah will increase its stake in MAHB,” he told a press conference after a national logistics task force meeting here today.

“Until today, he is still talking about us selling (our stake), which is misleading the public.

“What I said in Parliament stands. I wasn’t speaking in jest.”

Loke told the Dewan Rakyat in March that Wan Fayhsal’s claims about MAHB’s stake being sold to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a company wholly owned by BlackRock, were “merely an assumption”.

Yesterday, the Machang MP reiterated in a Facebook post that shares in MAHB were being sold to GIP. He also alleged that Blackrock was “pro-Zionist”.

Loke said the transport ministry supports Khazanah’s decision to privatise MAHB.

He said this would help the company accelerate its strategic decision-making process.

“We are not selling the shares. It just means the consortium will have bigger stakes … as currently Khazanah and EPF only have around 40% of the (MAHB) shares,” he said.

As of May 14, the consortium and its parent companies in aggregate own 41.1% of MAHB’s issued share capital. The deal will see Khazanah increase its ownership in MAHB from 33.2% to 40%, and EPF from 7.9% to 30%.

Collectively, the Malaysian investors will own 70% of MAHB while ADIA and GIP will hold the remaining 30%.