PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has clarified that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge issue is not a vendetta against Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Anwar stated that the special task force, which reviewed the legal aspects of the case and led to the RCI’s formation, was established during Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s administration.
“There is no question of revenge. The task force was initiated before my tenure, under Ismail’s leadership,” he said after Friday prayers in Putrajaya, as reported by Berita Harian.
He added that the findings of the task force, led by then-home minister Hamzah Zainudin and law minister Takiyuddin Hassan, were severe. “This is about safeguarding territorial integrity, not playing up a revenge narrative. No country would willingly surrender its territory.”
Anwar deferred to Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar on whether legal action should be taken against Mahathir, as recommended in the RCI report.
Released last Thursday, the RCI report included redacted and unredacted recommendations, one of which proposed a police report against Mahathir for a potential investigation under Sections 415 and 418 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Opposition MPs have questioned the report, labeling it as politically motivated and criticizing the closed-door investigation process. They also alleged that Mahathir was not given an opportunity to defend himself.
The Batu Puteh case traces back to Malaysia’s 2017 application to review the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision, which awarded Batu Puteh to Singapore and Middle Rocks to Malaysia. The PH government, led by Mahathir, withdrew this application in 2018, which the RCI now claims may have been a deliberate act.