PETALING JAYA: Datuk Dr Puad Zarkashi has accused Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of using excuses to avoid participating in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) reviewing the handling of cases involving the sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge.
According to the Umno supreme council member, Dr Mahathir has no right to question the appointment of former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif as the head of the RCI.
Dr Mahathir had raised concerns about the appointment, citing it as a conflict of interest.
Puad stated that Dr Mahathir was unjustified in his objections as the rakyat wants to know why he withdrew two review applications against the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) rulings that Singapore had sovereignty over Batu Puteh. Puad also asserted that Dr Mahathir was “scared of his own shadow” and had no grounds to talk about conflict of interest.
Puad also suggested that Dr Mahathir was aware of the severe consequences of losing territory and that the act would be unforgivable for generations to come.
Dr Mahathir’s lawyer, Rafique Rashid, had previously objected to the appointment of Md Raus, claiming a conflict of interest and a gross violation of natural justice.
The RCI, consisting of seven members including former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif as chairman and former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Zainun Ali as the deputy chairman, was set up with the consent of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, on Feb 14. The five other RCI members are legal practitioner Datuk Dr Baljit Singh Sidhu, former law faculty dean Dr Johan Shamsuddin Sabaruddin, constitutional law and administrative law expert Datin Dr Faridah Jalil, Johor state financial officer Datuk Mohammed Ridha Abd Kadir, and director of Marine Department Southern Region Dickson Dollah.
Last October, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim suggested that the issue of Batu Puteh could be resolved through the direct involvement of the Attorneys General of Malaysia and Singapore.
