FOR months, the question was who will get it. The bidding war for the prized asset that is PLUS Malaysia Bhd attracted bidders far and near, with many of the local personalities the ones that have eyed the expressway company before. The newcomers that voiced their interest was RRJ Capital, a homegrown rising private equity firm that made their buck abroad and lodged a bid on the invitation of the Works Ministry.
The final furlong of the beauty bidding process culminated with an unexpected plea. Maybe it was out of exasperation but it was likely the manifestation of frustration. Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan just a day before the Cabinet was to make a decision on the fate of PLUS, voiced his take on the whole process. His revelation that the shareholders of PLUS had not been formally engaged by the government on the sale of the highway concessionaire was puzzling.