Kuala Lumpur, 8 November 2012 - Tun Musa Hitam, Chairman of Sime Darby Bhd, has announced today that he is not seeking reelection to the Board of Directors of the country s largest conglomerate, at its Annual General Meeting. Following Tun Musa s retirement, Tan Sri Samsudin Osman will serve as Chairman of the Board in the interim.

Tun Musa had earlier stated that he would seek re-election at this year s AGM as stated in the company s annual report 2012. However, he explained to the Board this morning that he had, at the time, been unable to communicate his true intention due to several reasons, including a desire to contain speculation. Tun Musa also said that his retirement was something he had originally planned for much earlier.  I had intended to serve Sime Darby for three years from 2007. However, due to a number of reasons, that decision was delayed to now. Now, as I hand over the reins of this great company to the next generation of leaders, I do so with an easy heart, Tun Musa told shareholders this morning.

Tun Musa will also relinquish the Chairmanships of the Sime Darby Board Remuneration and Nomination Committee, the Boards of Sime Darby Plantation Sdn Bhd, Sime Darby Unimills, Sime Darby Hudson & Knight and the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club (KLGCC).

Tun Musa, 78, was appointed to the Board of Synergy Drive Bhd on 29 September 2007 as Chairman and Non-Executive Director. Synergy Drive acquired Kumpulan Sime Darby Bhd, Golden Hope Plantations Bhd and Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd in 2007 and was listed on Bursa Malaysia on 27 November 2012 as Sime Darby Bhd.

Tun Musa is currently the Chairman of Lion Industries Corporation Berhad and United Malayan Land Berhad, both of which are listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad, the CIMB Group s International Advisory Panel and the World Islamic Economic Forum. He is also a member of the International Advisory Board Rotterdam and a member of the Advisory Board of the Malaysian  Journal of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations . He is also a member of the Advisory Panel of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority.

Over the years, Tun Musa has held a number of key positions, including Chairman of Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad and Joint-Chairman of the Malaysia-China Business Council. Tun Musa has held several key positions in the Malaysian government including Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Minister of Primary Industries and Minister of Education, before becoming Malaysia s fifth Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs from 1981 to 1986.

Between 1990 and 1991, he was Malaysia s Special Envoy to the United Nations and also led the Malaysian delegation to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1993 to 1998 and was elected Chairman of the 52nd Session of the Commission in 1995. From 1995 to 2002, he was the Prime Minister s Special Envoy to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group. In 2005, he was Joint-Chairman of the Eminent Persons Group to chart out the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)/China s next 15 years programme and was appointed as Chairman of the Eminent Persons Group to draft the ASEAN Charter.

The Board and Management of Sime Darby Berhad would like to take this opportunity to thank Tun Musa for his distinguished service to the Company over the last five years. Tun Musa has shown exemplary leadership and steered the Company through some of its most challenging times. We wish him all the best for the future.