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FORMER prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed he was not notified of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) proceeding into Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge that took place today.
In a statement, Mahathir said the inquiry was held behind closed doors adding that it was compulsory for him or his lawyer to attend the proceedings.
“How am I to explain or defend myself if my lawyer and I are not allowed to attend the proceedings," he said while citing Section 18 of the Commission of Enquiry Act 1950.
He later revealed that the objection by his lawyers Rafique Rashid Ali and Zainur Zakaria over not being notified was dismissed.
The lawyers were also barred from attending the proceedings, he added.
Mahathir also questioned why the proceedings were conducted in secrecy as the setting up of the RCI had been made public.
The former lawmaker had also applied for RCI chairman, former chief justice Raus Sharif, and commissioners Baljit Singh Sidhu and Ridha Abdul Kadir to recuse themselves due to a conflict of interest.
“I have made several other applications which I shall go into detail later.”
In 2008, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) decided that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia and South Ledge to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located.
Malaysia applied to the ICJ requesting an interpretation of the judgment in 2017.
In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, led by Mahathir, withdrew an application to overturn the ICJ ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore. – The Vibes, May 21, 2024.