Kuala Lumpur – Transport Minister Loke Siu-fook was accused of lying by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, but he stood firm and stated that the cabinet was not informed of the sovereignty issues involving Batu Puti, Zhongyan and Nanjiao in 2018.
Loke said Dr Mahathir and the public should read the full report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), which sets out the entire chronology and background of the issue.
Also Read: Batu Puteh Issue: Dr M acted on his own, say three members of 2018 Cabinet (https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/12/12/dr-m-only- The cabinet decided not to proceed with Batuput's appeal, a trio of former cabinet members told)
“RCI pointed out that the main flaw lies in the decision-making process, and the future direction is to study how decisions are made.
“For such an important matter involving national sovereignty, the entire process should be more thorough,” Loke Siu-fook told reporters after delivering a keynote speech at the Malaysia-China Summit on Tuesday (December 17).
Loke insisted that Dr Mahathir had only informed the Cabinet of his decision on the issue.
“Honestly, for many cabinet members there, this is our first meeting. We don't even know what a jemaah menteri (cabinet document) looks like.
“After that, all we know is that cabinet decisions need to be made based on cabinet documents and that they have to go through a (full) process with feedback and input from all ministries and relevant agencies.
“Only by looking at the feedback can we make more informed decisions. Looking back, that's not the case.
Also read: Dr Mahathir accuses three of his cabinet members of lying over Batu Puteh issue
In a joint statement on December 12, Loke Siu Fook, former Defense Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Sabu and former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said that Dr Mahathir only On May 23, 2018, he “notified” the Cabinet of his unilateral decision to abandon the appeal of Malaysia's Batu Puteh case on May 21, 2018.
On Tuesday, Mahathir accused the trio of lying about their decision to withdraw the review and explanation application for Batu Puti Island.
Dr. Mahathir also said that he was ashamed to have such a minister in the cabinet.
“Leaked cabinet minutes show that the statements made by the three ministers are untrue and false,” he said.
In a highly redacted and declassified report submitted to Parliament on December 5, the RCI recommended that an investigation be conducted for fraud offenses under Sections 415(b), 417 and 418 of the Penal Code, which resulted in Batu Puteh's loss.
Also read: PM says Batu Puteh RCI not an act of revenge
It also recommended the RCI secretary to submit a report to the police to initiate an investigation.
In February, the government announced that His Majesty King Sultan Ibrahim of Malaysia had agreed to establish the RCI.
The problem stems from the government's decision in 2018 to withdraw Malaysia's application to review the International Court of Justice's ruling on Batu Puti's sovereignty.
At that time, the government was led by Dr Mahathir.
In 2008, the International Court of Justice ruled that Batu Puti belongs to Singapore and Zhongyan belongs to Malaysia.
It also stipulates that the ownership of the South Reef should be determined based on territorial sea delimitation.
