Need to know: The Royal Commission of Inquiry into how Malaysia lost the strategic Batu Puteh to Singapore will hopefully reveal why we did not pursue the matter following the International Court of Justice’s 2008 decision. — Filepic/The Star

MALAYSIA may never regain Batu Puteh following the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision in 2008 to award the islet to Singapore, but the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will help answer some important questions.

Top of the agenda is surely the decision of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to drop a review application to the ICJ.

It’s crucial for Malaysians to know the reason for the decision because it was as good as waving the white flag before even going through another round of battle at the ICJ. Never mind if the Singapore legal team had a superior argument and better preparation than our side, the dispute had not been resolved yet.

New evidence was discovered supporting Malaysia’s case, but the opportunity was lost when the Pakatan Harapan government led by Dr Mahathir at that time chose to drop the suit.

So, the lingering question is whether the decision to drop the case was solely Dr Mahathir’s.

What were the dates on which he signed off the documents to call off the case, and did he seek the opinions of his Cabinet members before making his decision?

If not, then this is surely a case of gross negligence since it involves national sovereignty.

The people of Johor, and the rest of Malaysia, surely want to know whether Dr Mahathir consulted the Sultan of Johor before he made the decision not to pursue the case, and if not, what was the rationale behind that because Johor is obviously a stakeholder.

Was Johor’s sovereignty insignificant to the government at that time, or was His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s opinion irrelevant, or was this just Dr Mahathir’s prejudice towards palace views showing? All loaded-gun questions that surely need answering.

Setting up the RCI is the right step after the special task force, put together by the Federal Government, reviewed the actions and legal issues regarding Batu Puteh and nearby Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan.

Then PM Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had commissioned a special task force headed by former attorney general Tan Sri Apandi Ali to review the case.

The task force was given six months to reveal its findings and recommendations to the Cabinet for further action.

In 2022, Ismail said there may have been “possible negligence” when the former Pakatan government decided to withdraw the appeal, implicating Dr Mahathir.

When Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took over as premier, he instructed the then AG, Tan Sri Idrus Harun, to review matters pertaining to the Batu Puteh claims so that negotiations with Singapore on the issue could be more fruitful without affecting bilateral ties.

He had also asked the AG to study the impact of the ICJ decision to award legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.

Idrus had said that based on the report of the special task force, the Cabinet viewed the act of withdrawing the review application as “not in order and improper”.

Let’s hope the composition of the RCI will be revealed once the incoming Yang di-Pertuan Agong begins his five-year reign on Wednesday.

We definitely want to know the decision-making process, and as Pasir Gudang Member of Parliament Hassan Abdul Karim said, if the decision to withdraw the review application was made by Dr Mahathir alone, then the ex-PM has committed treason, betraying the nation in his personal capacity.

Treason may not be a criminal offence, and no one has been charged with such an act as far as I know, but surely no person of standing, especially Dr Mahathir, would want to go down in history as having betrayed the nation. Putting treason into context, it was once deemed a crime punishable by death in many parts of the world.

The investigations of the RCI will certainly be revealing, if not contentious, as it’s almost certain Dr Mahathir will be summoned to attend the hearing to defend himself for his decision to drop the legal pursuit.

So who was responsible for waving the white flag over the Batu Puteh legal appeal issue? Shouldn’t we have planted the Jalur Gemilang on that rock instead?

MANY Malaysians are annoyed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remarks, which question the loyalty of the Indians and Chinese because of their supposed failure to assimilate into Malay society.

In a way though, I feel sorry for the former prime minister, who’s in the twilight years of his life.

Without doubt, those of us who were present during his 22-year tenure as PM will remember him fondly and proudly for building Malaysia into a nation clearly on a path to modernisation. He put us on the world map with the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers and bringing Formula 1 racing to Malaysia.

Under his stewardship, we enjoyed double-digit economic growth, and he inspired Malaysians by instilling confidence in us.

Many of us even chose to adopt a more lenient outlook then as Dr Mahathir tore down reforms and civil society the way we knew it as he moved pieces in the judiciary system, including sacking the Lord President then, and diminishing the powers of our Rulers.

During his tenure, his dissidents were arrested and jailed and newspapers which refused to toe the line were temporarily shut down.

But worst of all, he undermined every single one of his successors. In his eyes, none of them were fit to be PM.

Unfortunately for him, his legacy is now firmly consigned to the history books.

Malaysians have stopped according him the respect he likely desires.

He should know that by now, right? Or has someone forgotten to give him that memo? After all, he managed to garner only 4,566 votes, which is 12.5% short of the vote threshold to retain his deposit to hang on to his Langkawi parliamentary seat.

Incredibly, he was quoted saying he doesn’t understand what contributed to his disastrous defeat.

The reason was staring at him, but his sycophants probably didn’t have the heart to tell him.

Malaysians, including the predominantly Malay voters of Langkawi, essentially just want Dr M to retire for good.

He had 22 years as PM and even came back for a second hurrah as PM at the age of 92, and he was certainly back with his usual combative style of politics.

Plus, he was also glaringly out of sync with how things worked in the modern age. Dr Mahathir was a man caught in a time warp as he talked about policies and formulas which sounded archaic.

We can forgive him for believing he’s still a political icon and legend.

After all, ours is a society which accords respect and reverence to the elderly, especially our leaders.

Many of us will still request wefies with the nonagenarian, but let’s hope he doesn’t get carried away with delusions of grandeur.

His time ended some years back. A new Prime Minister – Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim – has been in power for a year.

Crumbling record: Tun Dr Mahathir will always be credited for putting us on the world map with the construction of the Petronas Twin Towers, among others. However, he is fast losing respect with his recent remarks and antics. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star

Dr Mahathir barely has any clout, but like all politicians, he, too, thrives on publicity to prove his imagined relevance. He knows the controversies, including his nasty remarks, earn column inches and attention.

The media should just ignore him, though. His divisive sound bites don’t make Malaysia better, but instead, unnecessarily generate discontent. Instead of dedicating his time to writing elder statesman-like essays to share his experiences and wisdom on nation building, he has opted to continually spew toxic race and religion narratives.

Loyal Malaysians including Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, Ibans, Kadazans and others are the ones who toiled for our beloved country.

The disloyal Malaysians are the corrupt leaders who have stolen, plundered and looted from our nation’s properties and coffers, including government-linked companies, and perpetrators include many cronies, too. Malaysia had bled profusely long before the 1MDB scandal, and this was the final straw for our people.In our history’s national fiascos, many of those implicated, unfortunately, are elites with political connections, including those from the time of Dr Mahathir’s reign.

So he has no moral standing to lecture us about loyalty to Malaysia, where most of the people born and raised here would surely desire to die in this country as well. Our loyalty should never be questioned.

Malaysia is what it is today because of the contributions every single one of us has made.

Some of us may have linguistic inadequacies and the inability to integrate, but our hearts and minds are truly Malaysian, and that’s what matters most.

With due respect, Tun, please stop talking about loyalty and calling us pendatang.

In case you’ve forgotten, this is 2024.

In good hands: The Fire and Rescue Department putting out the fire at Ngeh’s house last Wednesday. It’s best for investigations to be left to the police, says the writer. — Photo courtesy of the Fire and Rescue Department

REPORTERS from Singapore’s media, whether based in Kuala Lumpur or their country, keep close tabs on the political developments in Malaysia daily.

After all, our politicians are adept at being newsmakers unlike their Singapore counterparts.

Malaysia makes it into the front pages more than Singapore’s PAP leaders and unfortunately, often for the wrong reasons.

This isn’t a case of bad publicity being publicity nonetheless because we’d prefer to keep our politics mundane like on the island republic.

Politics is toxic and unproductive in Malaysia, where race and religion are part of the daily recipe of every issue, and outsiders reading about these explosive debates might expect things to go off the rails.

But despite the rattling of pots and pans, the racket never amounts to violence. There are no riots, assassinations, racial conflicts or worse, civil war.

Protests are rather tame since organisers work with the police to ensure they disperse once the protest note is handed over.

By and large, our politics never crosses the line of extremism because we’re a middle-class country.

Malaysia prides itself on being a stable nation with a population that has great tolerance and is peaceful, despite its multiracial and multi-religious fabric.

Our people can’t afford to stay on the streets for months, unlike say, Bangkok, because we must all report to work. Basically, prolonged rent-a-crowd protests aren’t feasible here.

Malaysia isn’t a despot country either, unlike Myanmar, where the military has slowly begun losing to the various ethnic rebel groups that have opted to work together to fight the oppressive junta.

The police investigating a ‘bomb-like’ object under Siti Kasim’s car last year. — Agencies

In Indonesia, protests can also get out of control, especially those initiated by religious groups which can mobilise huge crowds.

What happened last week when a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the home of Perak DAP Member of Parliament Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham is rare indeed. Three vehicles belonging to the MP for Beruas caught fire as a result.

It’s commendable that PAS quickly condemned the attack, saying burning and destroying property is unacceptable regardless of political difference, especially when it puts a person’s property or life at risk.

Likewise, Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin has also rebuked the attack.

Ngeh, who has apologised for his proposal to include non-Muslims on a committee studying the conflicts between syariah laws and the Federal Constitution, has since withdrawn his remarks.

He has also forgiven those behind the incident at his home saying the perpetrators might have been misled by falsehoods and instigated by others into committing the crime.

It’s best for investigations to be left to the police. There’s little to gain from jumping to conclusions, pointing fingers and prematurely blaming without proper evidence. After all, it would only create more tension.

Give the police time and space to do their work. In fact, our cops should also probe Netizens who posted seditious comments on the act of arson.

The attack is unacceptable, and the culprits need to be arrested and charged swiftly to send a strong message.

Malaysia doesn’t condone such violent acts and those responsible must face the consequences.

In my 38-year journalism career, I can only recall a single assassination, that of MIC Lunas state assemblyman Dr Joe Fernandez in 2000, when he was shot dead in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Many believed it was an act of terrorism although an open verdict was declared. To this day, the real motive remains a mystery.

Eighteen years after the incident, the Special Coroner’s Court ruled that his assassination had nothing to do with business, political or personal reasons.

Last July, there was an attempted hit on outspoken activist lawyer Siti Kasim, where an explosive device was planted under her car. Until now, the police have yet to find any leads, which is most disappointing.

Let’s hope that with the attack on Ngeh’s house, the police will be able to resolve it with proper answers. We’re confident that our Polis Diraja Malaysia will do their best for the nation’s peace and harmony.

WHEN you’re past 60, like me, conversations among peers have a predictable theme.

After whining about our politics, like we’re all culpable of, the dialogue invariably switches to updates on ourselves and our mutual friends.

And ultimately, the chit chat will revolve around our health, and of visits to the hospital to see the doctor or physiotherapist. You’re doing well if the medical attention stops there.

Our exchanges will surely include information on clinics or hospitals which offer the best treatments, facilities, and of course, price.

No one cares about the race of the medical specialists who treated us, whether they’re Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban or Kadazan. We’re only interested to know from where we can get the best treatment.

Likewise, the ethnic background of nurses in hospitals is irrelevant. Not one of us asks about the race of the person whose donated blood we receive. And the same goes for organ donors.

As the sick lay helplessly in their hospital beds, they don’t fuss about wardmates of a different racial background. The priority is simply to recover, and most patients tend to get friendly and even wish each other well.

Sometimes, prayers are conducted for a patient of a different faith. Most people are just thankful for good thoughts, regardless of the prayer’s religious origin. The intention is good, so that’s all that matters.

This is glaringly clear with frequent hospital visits, especially when you reach a certain age, or when you need to accompany loved ones there.

Most of us remember the names of our best, and worst, teachers. Long after leaving school, we still appreciate our favourite teachers because they taught us well.

We credit them for bringing out the best in us. Whether it’s the strict Malay cikgu who taught us Bahasa Malaysia or the scary Chinese Mathematics teacher, we think of them fondly.

Of course, we haven’t forgotten the lazy and unjust ones either, even when they’re from our own race.

So, I’m deeply disturbed when certain politicians brag by claiming they are champions of their race and religion, and no one else.

Their inflated sense of self-worth makes them believe only they represent their own race adequately, and everyone else is inferior. In fact, they’re even pompous enough to think they’re indispensable.

Conversely, when they campaign for votes, they also claim they’re the best people to safeguard the interests of other races.

The only time the three major languages are used is probably during our election campaigns, emblazoned on posters, banners and campaign materials like a sign of solidarity.

Immediately after the polls are over though, when normalcy returns, we learn that English, Chinese or Tamil can’t be used in official letters.

You can, of course, show up in shorts at ceramahs, even a PAS gathering, but the same flexibility isn’t applicable after that.

If you get robbed in the middle of the road, you’ll still have to change into proper attire when making a report at the police station. The same stringent rules are imposed at some hospitals, too, based on the interpretation of the incumbent hospital director, or the pak guard.

It’s safe to say that no one wants to visit the police station or hospital if they can help it, unless they work there because otherwise, it means they’ve been struck by some misfortune.

So, in Malaysia, we have those who believe that only political leaders of their own race best represent them.

Let’s not forget, we have Malay politicians who have swindled and cheated their own people, including plundering institutions recognised to be sacred.

The Chinese community has its share of incompetent leaders including many past Ministers and Chief Ministers. It’s the same with Indian leaders, who’ve let their community down.

Likewise in Sabah and Sarawak, where the failed Melanau, Iban and Kadazan lawmakers grew rich inexplicably while their fellow ethnic neighbours suffered.

Certainly, affirmative actions have helped and benefitted the bumiputras. It has restructured the Malaysian society, with a larger Malay middle-class now, and that’s important for our nation.

Slowly but surely, as our demographic dramatically changes, we should provide more opportunities for Malaysians who have the correct competence, professionalism and most importantly, possess accountability and honesty.

The daunting reality is that the population of the Chinese and Indians will shrink drastically.

The best way forward is to see each other as Malaysians. The bogeymen narrative must end at some point. How about right now?

In fact, it shouldn’t be a source of concern when appointing non-Malaysians to certain key jobs in government linked companies if they’re capable and clued-in to local sensitivities.

Imagine having only Britons playing in the English Premier League, without Egyptian Mo Salah at Liverpool or Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal, or the many foreign players in our own Super League? Goodness, we had already done it three decades ago when Burmese Aung Naing patrolled Perak’s frontline and former Czechoslovakian World Cup keeper Karel Stromsik stood between the sticks for Selangor.

All these foreign talents, whether players or managers, have raised football standards, and we can surely attest to this. Badminton has greatly benefited from imported expertise, too, from China’s Han Jian to Denmark’s Morten Frost once guiding our national team.

In the end though, Malaysian talents must be retained and allowed to flourish.

Let’s all look beyond our own race and accept those who work fair and hard for the greater good.

It’s clear in urban areas that people have voted for candidates who can do their jobs and not based on their race, proving that many Malaysians have become immune to the race malaise.

As the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping famously said: “It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white, as long as it catches the mice.”