PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed that the government will not be taking legal action against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad regarding the Pulau Batu Puteh issue, citing his advanced age as a key consideration.
Anwar emphasised that while the Cabinet chose not to proceed with charges, they still hold Dr Mahathir responsible for the 2018 decision that led to Malaysia relinquishing its claim to Pulau Batu Puteh in favour of Singapore.
“We made this decision because it involves a former Prime Minister who is now 100 years old,” Anwar explained during Minister’s Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat.
“Was he not at fault? He was. Should we take action? I, as part of the Cabinet, agreed not to pursue it.”
He added that any move to prosecute could be perceived as unfair. “If we were to proceed, Kota Bharu (referring to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan) would cry foul and say we are being unfair.
But I have not made this an issue, purely because of his age,” he said. “It was a grave error, but let’s not pursue it further.”
Anwar was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN–Beluran), who asked how the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s 2002 ruling on the sovereignty of Ligitan and Sipadan Islands could influence current maritime boundary negotiations with Indonesia in the Sulawesi Sea—specifically concerning blocks ND6 (Block Y) and ND7 (Block Z).
A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report, declassified in December last year, revealed that during Dr Mahathir’s administration, the government had unilaterally withdrawn its bid to review and interpret the ICJ’s 2008 decision that awarded Batu Puteh to Singapore.
The commission further noted that a criminal probe could be opened against Dr Mahathir under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code, with possible charges under Sections 417 and 418.
Anwar expressed concern that a similar misstep must not happen again in current boundary discussions with Indonesia.
“The handover of Pulau Batu Puteh was far too easy, and my colleagues on the other side (the opposition) are now silent about it,” he said.
“This is a matter of national dignity. If Beluran feels impacted by the Sulawesi Sea issue, then so too does the whole of Malaysia and the people of Johor regarding the handover of Pulau Batu Puteh.
“Why the double standards in this matter?” he asked. —July 23, 2025
Main image: Arab News
