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Cabinet in 2018 agreed to withdraw Pulau Batu Puteh appeal: Dr Mahathir | Scoop
Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his cabinet in 2018 did not reject his suggestion that Malaysia not appeal the International Court of Justice’s ruling and agreed with his decision. – Screengrab, June 12, 2024
News

Cabinet in 2018 agreed to withdraw Pulau Batu Puteh appeal: Dr Mahathir

Former PM, facing a Royal Commission of Inquiry, says he did not make the decision alone

Scoop Reporters
Updated
4:28 PM MYT

 

KUALA LUMPUR – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia’s decision not to pursue a review of a world court’s decision to award Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore was not his alone, but was collectively decided by his cabinet in 2018.

He said he had only suggested Malaysia not appeal the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling, and had brought his idea to the cabinet for discussion.

“The cabinet did not reject the idea that we should not go ahead with the appeal. 

“It was minuted that they all did not oppose and they agreed with me not to go ahead with the review and interpretation.

“So final decision was by the cabinet, not by me alone,” the former two-time prime minister said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

Under Dr Mahathir’s second stint as prime minister from 2018 and 2020, Malaysia withdrew applications to the ICJ to review the court’s ruling, and to request an interpretation of the judgement.

The 98-year-old leader is now facing a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the government’s handling of the Batu Puteh issue.

Dr Mahathir, who has been blamed by law and institutional reforms minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said for making the withdrawal decision unilaterally, said this was “absolute nonsense.”

“I did not make a decision until I put it before the cabinet. Azalina knows nothing about this, she is talking without knowledge,” he said.

“It was in the cabinet that included (then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri) Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail).”

Malaysia’s decision to withdraw the applications was made on May 30, 2018. Pakatan Harapan formed the federal government with Dr Mahathir as prime minister earlier the same month following a general election.

Dr Mahathir also explained why he disagreed with pursuing the applications, as both Malaysia and Singapore had agreed to abide by the ICJ’s ruling.

“To ask for revision, an interpretation, doesn’t look good for a country that has promised to accept (the court’s decision)… you are then reneging.”

Dr Mahathir has applied to the court for the recusal of RCI chairman, former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif, and panel members Datuk Baljit Singh Sidhu and Datuk Mohammed Ridha Abd Kadir, citing past conflicts of interest.

He had also applied for the inquiry to be held in public. 

The court today binned both applications, but granted him leave to proceed with a third to have the right of counsel present during RCI hearings. – June 12, 2024

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