Review Batu Puteh claims without hurting S’pore ties, AG told

PUTRAJAYA: The Attorney General (AG) has been instructed to review matters pertaining to Batu Puteh claims so that it will not jeopardise bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, says the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the review was also to ensure any negotiations with Singapore on Batu Puteh would yield fruitful results.

He added that another area in which the AG was asked to look into was the impact of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision to award legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.

“The Cabinet has tasked the AG to look into the matter so that negotiations and discussions with Singapore on Batu Puteh will have a meaningful outcome.

“Further, we do not want this to result in issues or problems in the relations of two neighbouring friends,” he told reporters after chairing the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

On Oct 13, then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said his Cabinet was informed of the possibility of negligence and mistakes made by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when withdrawing an application to review the ICJ’s decision on Batu Puteh claims.

In 2008, the ICJ ruled that Pedra Branca (Batu Puteh) belonged to Singapore, while the sovereignty over the nearby Middle Rocks (Batuan Tengah) was awarded to Malaysia.

The Malaysian government filed an application in 2017 for a review of the ICJ decision to award legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.

In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government withdrew the application before the case was heard, scheduled for June 11 that year.

Dr Mahathir, who led the Pakatan administration when the application was withdrawn, argued that the decision to withdraw the application for a review of the ICJ’s decision was based on the advice of former attorney general Tan Sri Apandi Ali.

On another matter, Anwar said the Cabinet was also briefed on the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s probe into Tabung Haji’s management and operational issues from 2014 to 2020.

He said the ministers were informed of the issues as well as proposals to improve Tabung Haji’s management, adding that further discussions would continue in January next year.

In January, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah consented to the setting up of the RCI and the appointment of its six members, including former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif as its chairman.