Media statement by Liew Chin Tong in George Town on Wednesday, 18^th January 2012:

Is the Proton deal another land grab exercise?

Is there a conspirary within the highest echelon of the Federal Government and Khazanah to transfer valuable and strategic land owned one way or the other by the government in and around Kuala Lumpur as well as other parts of the country to the hands of Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary?

• The latest purchase of Proton by DRB-Hicom gives Syed Mokhtar control over valuable land in the form of the company's 250-acre Shah Alam plant as well as other assets of which book value is low and not revalued.

• Syed Mokhtar has controlled Pos Malaysia in April 2011. Pos Malaysia effectively owns numerous plots of lands, somc highly valuable, around the country, which are currently vested in the Federal Land Commission.

• Syed Mokhtar is currently also pursuing KTM which owns even more land nation wide.

• On top of that, Syed Mokhtar through MMC Corp is also one of the "project delivery partners" of Klang Valley MRT system which will allow him over usage of strategic land in the Klang Valley, to say the least.

The list of companies of strategic national interests now falling into Syed Mokhtar's hands of course does not end here. His flagship enterprises - MMC Corp and DRB-Hicom - are also involved in a wide array of nationally strategic sectors and industries from multi-billion defence contracts to rice and sugar to ports and independent power generation. He is also poised to enter the telecommunications space via newcomer Puncak Semangat, which was reported to be among the biggest winners of 4G spectrum allocations.

It begs the question whether there exists a conspiracy at the highest echelon of the Federal Government to transfer assets especially land into the hands of Syed Mokhtar in the event of a change of government in the next general election.

Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Razak who is also Finance Minister must explain the government's position on this matter.

* Liew Chin Tong, DAP International Secretary & MP for Bukit Bendera