FACT CHECK Since late last year, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been on the warpath against the Forest City project in Johor.

Mahathir claimed that the sale of local real estate to foreign interests would undermine Malaysia's sovereignty. In turn, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin refuted this argument.

Is the land leasehold or freehold? What does sovereignty have anything to do this this? Malaysiakini wades through the noise, and examines what has been said to separate fact from fiction.

The background

The Forest City project comprises a mix of commercial and residential developments in Johor's Iskandar region, which is being built just west of the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link.

The project site sits on top of four man-made islands spanning 1,386 hectares. The project will be developed in phases and reclamation work for the first island is still underway.

When completed in 2045, the four islands are supposed to house 70,000 residents. The gross development value of the project is estimated at RM450 billion...