JOHOR ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar must explain the selling of state land to foreign entities, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former prime minister’s remark came after he was quizzed on the Johor state government pointing the finger at him for Malaysia losing its claim over Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore.
The 96-year-old Dr Mahathir, who has a long history of uttering inflammatory rhetoric, further claimed the size of the land sold to the Chinese and Singaporean entities was much larger than Pulau Batu Puteh.
“He can blame whoever he wants, but he is not a judge. He is a sultan. He can give his opinion. In our country the sultan is free to do anything [as] he is above the law. He can say anything but I cannot respond,” he told reporters in Putrajaya.
“But I want to know, why did he sell 1,370ha of land to the Chinese? That is a much bigger area than just a piece of rock.”
Dr Mahathir’s aide later clarified that Mahathir was referring to the Forest City project in Johor.
Earlier the nonagenarian had walked out in protest from the Attorney-General’s Chambers where he was invited for an interview by a panel on tort misfeasance regarding the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh.
This comes after he learned that the panel was still being chaired by former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, whom Mahathir said has a conflict of interest in the case.
Meanwhile, the Langkawi MP also raised questions about another project in Maharani, Muar whereby he claimed that the land was sold to Singapore.
“…Now, another land piece in Maharani wants to be sold to Singapore. At the rate we are going, there will be no Johor,” he was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.
Sultan Ibrahim had previously expressed disappointment over the Pulau Batu Puteh issue.
His Majesty said that the then Pakatan Harapan government had failed to consult Johor when it decided to withdraw Malaysia’s appeal against the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to bestow sovereignty of the island to Singapore in 2018.
On Sunday (June 26) Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said legal actions should be taken against the betrayal that has caused the country to lose Pulau Batu Puteh.
He also said that decision to withdraw the appeal was a mistake that not only set a bad precedent but also created a dark moment in the history of this sovereign nation.
Onn Hafiz further noted that Pulau Batu Puteh, which is about the size of a football field, might not have significant economic importance to some people, but the island was a strategic maritime position crucial to the country, adding that it was located about 14.3 kilometres from Tanjung Penyusop, Johor compared to 46 kilometres from Changi, Singapore.
He pointed out that losing Pulau Batu Puteh, which was located on the main route for merchant ships through the Straits of Melaka and the South China Sea, hurt the people, especially fishermen who complained that their source of income was affected. – June 28, 2022
calvintaneng
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2022-06-29 13:52