Given this fact, the two-time prime minister asked how his actions could be considered treacherous.

“If I was treacherous, then my deputy prime minister, Wan Azizah, was also treacherous,” he said in a press conference here.

Mahathir was responding to Anwar’s remarks that a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) report on the sovereignty dispute had revealed treachery committed against Malaysia.

Mahathir also alleged that the renewed focus on Batu Puteh was politically driven and aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

“Very much, the whole idea is to destroy me,” he added.

He cited his stance against Singapore as a possible reason for the allegations.

“You know my stance against Singapore. We don’t give in to Singapore,” he said.

Mahathir also defended his administration’s approach to the issue, saying decisions were based on advice from the attorney-general’s (AG) office and foreign experts.

“I acted on the basis of information I received. The AG’s staff and foreign experts briefed me on the matter.

“However, there were discrepancies within the AG’s office at the time,” he said, singling out former AG Apandi Ali for criticism.

Mahathir accused Apandi of mishandling key issues during his tenure, citing the former AG’s controversial decision to clear then prime minister Najib Razak of wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal within six months.

“Apandi failed to conduct a thorough investigation (in 2016),” said Mahathir.

“Later, Najib was found guilty in multiple courts. How can we trust Apandi when his own staff was unaware of his decisions?”