Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday slammed the government's move to allow U.S. energy firm Halliburton to set up shop in Malaysia, saying the country doesn't need "blood money" to fund its development. Halliburton recently launched a 200 million ringgit ($62.5 million) manufacturing center in the Iskandar Malaysia economic hub in southern Johor state.Mahathir, a vocal critic of the 2003 U.S invasion of Iraq, accused the firm, which is linked to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, of raking in billions of dollars in profit from the Iraq war. "It is appalling that we have allowed this war-profiteering company to invest in Malaysia," he said in a statement. "Are we so void of our humanity that we have to allow these war criminals to come in and thrive in our economy?"
Mahathir, who remains a respected figure in the Islamic world even after his retirement in 2003 after 22 years in power, urged the government to ban Halliburton from using their "ill-gotten profits to operate in any way" in Malaysia. He described Cheney and U.S. President George W.Bush as "war criminals" who should be put on trial for the Iraq war. The former leader now heads the Perdana Global Peace Organization, a non-governmental group.
Iskandar Malaysia's chief Ikmal Hijaz Hashim has defended Halliburton's investment, saying it would create jobs and benefit the country. The Iskandar hub is among five massive development programs nationwide by the government to woo investment and spur growth in rural areas.