Why we let Pulau Batu Puteh go – by Dr M

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that both countries had agreed to abide by the ICJ decision when they first referred the Pulau Batu Puteh matter to the international court. (AFP pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has sought to clarify why the review application on the Pulau Batu Puteh case was abandoned after Pakatan Harapan (PH) wrested control of Putrajaya a little over three years ago.

In a blog post, Mahathir cited costs as among the reasons why the review application was not a wise decision.

“Besides, there was no guarantee that Malaysia would win the case,” he said.

Mahathir said both Malaysia and Singapore had agreed to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) (in the first place) with the condition that both countries must promise to accept any decision made by the ICJ.

“The application to the ICJ can only be accepted if both parties promise in writing to accept whatever decision made by the ICJ. There is no appeal against the ICJ’s decision. It is final.

“This is why an in-depth study needs to be done before making any agreement,” he added.

On May 23, 2008, the ICJ ruled that Singapore had sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh while South Ledge would belong to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.

The review had been filed in February 2017 by the Barisan Nasional government but the PH administration had written to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to withdraw the application on May 28, 2018.

Many politicians have since criticised Mahathir over the PH’s decision to withdraw the review application.

Former prime minister Najib Razak said Mahathir was the man responsible for Malaysia losing Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore.

Najib also asked who advised former prime minister Mahathir to withdraw the review application on the Pulau Batu Puteh case.

Meanwhile, a citizen has filed a suit against the government for withdrawing the review application.

Mohd Hatta Sanuri claimed Putrajaya had not provided an explanation until today on why it had withdrawn the application despite fresh evidence that favours Malaysia over the island, half the size of a football field. - FMT