Wee questions Khazanah’s ties to third national car project

PETALING JAYA: As a strategic investment fund under the Finance Ministry, Khazanah Nasional Berhad’s partnership with the third national car project would mean public funds would be used, Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said.

“YB Lim Guan Eng once guaranteed that the third national car project will not involve any public funds as it is a private sector project,” the MCA deputy president said in a posting on Facebook yesterday.

“As far as I know, Barisan Nasional has never sold Khazanah Nasional to any private parties when it was in federal power,” he added.

Dr Wee was responding to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had brushed off concerns over Khazanahowned Silterra Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s potential involve ment with the third national car project.

Dr Mahathir had said Khazanah is a company without links to the government, so it could invest in businesses that it was interested in.

But Dr Wee slammed Dr Mahathir’s statement and questioned the source of Silterra’s investment funds.

Dr Wee also highlighted Dr Mahahir’s appointment as chairman of Khazanah.

“How could Khazanah Nasional have nothing to do with the government?” he said.

On Thursday, the Ayer Hitam MP raised his concerns over the selection of Khazanah and Composites Technology Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd (CTRM) as partners.

Dr Wee said Silterra is wholly owned and mostly funded by Kha zanah, while CTRM is a subsidiary of DRBHicom.

“Due to their history, the emergence of these two companies now raises serious doubts over the promise that no public funds will be used for the third national car project,” he said.

He also said the government must honour its promise that no public funds should be used for the third national car project.