Pulau Batu Puteh.-filepic
PETALING JAYA: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on sovereignty issues concerning Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge will be tabled in Parliament, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
“The Cabinet is concerned about issues related to the country’s sovereignty and has decided that the RCI report is to be tabled in Parliament, and the recommendations debated,” she said in a statement yesterday.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reforms) said the report was presented to the Cabinet by RCI chairman Tun Md Raus Sharif on Wednesday.
On Feb 27, Azalina said the RCI was set up to find a resolution to the issue and move forward with improvements when handling issues involving national sovereignty, rather than assign blame to any party.
She emphasised that Malaysians, especially those in Johor, deserve an explanation on the reasons and factors behind the decision not to pursue the Application for Review and Request for Interpretation at the International Court of Justice concerning the issue.
On June 12, former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad provided testimony during the closed-door proceedings of the RCI.
On Aug 12, the RCI presented its final report to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
In February, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department announced that Sultan Ibrahim had consented to the establishment of the RCI. Subsequently, it was formed in accordance with the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950.
On May 23, 2008, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Singapore holds sovereignty over Batu Puteh, while Middle Rocks, situated less than 1km away, belongs to Malaysia.
The ICJ ruled that the ownership of South Ledge, located approximately 4km from Batu Puteh, would be determined based on the delimitation of territorial waters.
On Feb 2, 2017, Malaysia filed an application to review the ICJ’s ruling. However, in May 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, led by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, withdrew the application two weeks before it was scheduled to be heard on June 11.
