Batu Puteh: No action against Dr M due to age factor, says Anwar

PARLIAMENT | The cabinet decided not to pursue legal action against former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the Pulau Batu Puteh issue due to his old age, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.

According to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the cabinet also took into account Mahathir's status as a former prime minister.

"We made the decision because this issue involves a former PM who has reached 100.

"Was he not wrong (in the Pulau Batu Puteh issue)? He was. But do we need to take action against him? I was in the cabinet meeting, I agree that we should not take any action.

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"Because if we take action, you, Kota Bharu, will be the one shouting, accusing us of being unfair," he said during Ministers' Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat this morning, referring to Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan.

Anwar was responding to a question regarding maritime boundaries between Malaysia and Indonesia in the Sulawesi Sea when he touched on the Pulau Batu Puteh case.

Last year, the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah, and Tubir Selatan recommended a criminal investigation be launched against Mahathir.

In its report - which was declassified in Parliament on Dec 5 - the RCI accused Mahathir of deceiving the cabinet in 2018 into withdrawing Malaysia's review of the International Court of Justice decision to award sovereignty over Batu Puteh to Singapore.

It also opined that Malaysia had a fighting chance to overturn the court decision.

Foreign investments

During the session, Anwar also responded to criticisms over the government's purported success in securing billions of ringgit of investment.

The prime minister stressed that the foreign investments he announced are real and ongoing, and it was not his problem if critics could not see them.

Anwar told the august house that Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz is expected to publish a list of the ongoing projects and their respective locations as proof.

"This is not a mere announcement but implementation. The projects are ongoing, so we have MPs from Kedah, from Johor, go and see.

"These are big projects, not small projects which you cannot see. Even though the chips (microchips) might be small, the building is big. Don't know how you could miss it.

"We will list down all these projects. So, to accuse us of having nothing to show despite announcing billions of investment, there is a problem with your eyes, not mine.

"Perhaps you should go see an optometrist. Or we can ask Azizah to help," Anwar said, referring to his eye surgeon wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. - Mkini