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PRIME MINISTER Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has dismissed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s call for the courts to determine his alleged role in Malaysia’s decision to forgo a legal challenge over Pulau Batu Puteh.
“Let him be,” Anwar told reporters, when asked to respond to the former prime minister’s remarks on the sidelines of the Ministry of Finance monthly assembly today.
Dr Mahathir had earlier taken to social media, saying he did not wish to invoke immunity due to his age, and insisted the government should proceed with prosecution if it believes he had acted improperly.
Mahathir had challenged authorities to prove any wrongdoing in court.
His comments followed the government’s announcement that it would not pursue legal action against him, despite a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report alleging misconduct in the handling of the territorial dispute.
The RCI’s findings, declassified in December 2024, revealed that Dr Mahathir’s administration had unilaterally withdrawn a pending application to review and interpret the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2008 ruling, which awarded Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore.
The move, made during his second tenure in office in 2018, effectively ended Malaysia’s legal avenue to reclaim the maritime feature.
Although no legal proceedings are currently underway, Anwar said the Cabinet maintains its position that Dr Mahathir bears responsibility for what it sees as a premature and unconsented retreat from Malaysia’s claim.
Pulau Batu Puteh, a rocky outcrop off the coast of Johor, has been a point of bilateral contention since the ICJ’s decision.
The withdrawal of the review application under Mahathir’s watch has since drawn sharp criticism, particularly following the public release of the RCI’s conclusions.
M40 group to benefit from cost-of-living relief measures
Separately, Anwar said Malaysia’s middle-income earners (M40) are also set to benefit from the government’s latest efforts to ease the rising cost of living.
Anwar, who also serves as Finance Minister, cited the planned reduction in the price of RON95 petrol and the government’s decision to defer toll hikes on 10 major highways as key examples of policies that extend beyond the lower-income (B40) group.
“These initiatives benefit the M40 group too, who are among the most frequent users of vehicles and toll roads,” he said during the Ministry of Finance’s monthly assembly.
“If some in the M40 say we’re only focused on the B40... we actually started with those in extreme poverty, then moved to the B40, and now to the M40. That’s the approach. I ask for some patience in implementation, but at the very least, we can say Alhamdulillah – these RON95 and toll measures do benefit the M40 and above.”
On Tuesday, Anwar announced that the government would postpone scheduled toll rate increases on 10 highways across the country as part of the “Penghargaan untuk Rakyat Malaysia” (Appreciation for Malaysians) initiative.
Highways affected by the deferment include the Senai–Desaru Expressway (SDE), East Coast Expressway Phase 2 (LPT2), South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Butterworth Outer Ring Road (LLB), and the Maju Expressway (MEX) linking Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Anwar also reaffirmed plans to implement targeted fuel subsidies and said the price of RON95 petrol is expected to be lowered to RM1.99 per litre by the end of September 2025, down from the current RM2.05.
The Prime Minister said these steps are designed to ease financial pressure not only for the most vulnerable but also for broader segments of Malaysian society. - July 24, 2025
