PUTRAJAYA, June 12 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today disputed Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s allegation that he alone decided to end Malaysia’s legal contest with Singapore for sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh (Pedra Branca).
Rubbishing the law minister’s remarks, he insisted that the decision was jointly made by his Cabinet at the time, which he claimed to have consulted before notifying the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on June 8, 2018 of the withdrawal.
“Azalina said I did not consult anybody, which is absolute nonsense. I consulted many experts, including reading letters from five senior lawyers who indicated that we had a weak case,” he told reporters in a press conference here today.
He said he also took into consideration the views of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and local experts, including Brendon Plant, prior to the decision.
He also said Malaysia was obliged to respect the ICJ ruling granting Singapore sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh and Middle Rock to Malaysia.
“If we do not accept, we are breaking our promise. We promised, and if we backtrack, Malaysia will have a bad reputation. I consider the actions of these two as divisive, and the interpretation needs to be taken seriously.
Dr Mahathir argued that while he wrote the letter informing the ICJ, his Cabinet members did not expressly oppose the move.
He also questioned the credibility of former attorney general (AG) Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali who had publicly offered to explain the matter to the public, claiming him as “unreliable”.
Dr Mahathir claimed that Apandi’s appointment by disgraced ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak meant the former AG was “not trustworthy”.
Last April, Azalina reportedly alleged that the former prime minister in 2018 secretly decided to withdraw Malaysia’s appeal with the ICJ and was singularly responsible for Malaysia losing any further claim to Pulau Batu Puteh.
