Ramasamy questions RCI report’s redacted pages, focus on Dr M

Ramasamy questions RCI report’s redacted pages, focus on Dr M

The ex-DAP man points out that 27 pages of the declassified RCI report were redacted, raising questions about transparency and the focus of the report.

batu puteh
The RCI said Dr Mahathir Mohamad was never advised by the AGC or government-appointed consultants that Malaysia had a ‘very weak’ case in its territorial claim to Batu Puteh. (AFP pic)
PETALING JAYA:
Urimai chairman P Ramasamy has called into question several aspects of the report by the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge issue, particularly the redaction of multiple pages.

Ramasamy said the declassified RCI report had a total of 27 redacted pages, which he said raised questions about transparency and the focus of the commission’s report.

“What information is being withheld, and why? Critics argue that if national interests are at stake, a full disclosure (of the RCI report) is necessary,” the former Penang deputy chief minister said in a statement.

The ex-DAP man said the RCI report also seemed to focus heavily on former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and questioned whether there were political motivations behind this.

While acknowledging that Mahathir may have unilaterally decided to drop two legal applications regarding Batu Puteh, Ramasamy questioned why other members of the Cabinet did not raise objections when the matter was brought up.

“Notably, the then deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s wife, also did not oppose the move.

“Is the focus on Mahathir an attempt to discredit an opponent or is it driven by genuine national interest?”

Ramasamy also said Anwar’s claim of “major treachery” was excessive. He said the government should move away from political blame-shifting and take up a “forward-looking approach” that focusses on national interests and diplomacy instead.

Yesterday, Mahathir once again denied unilaterally deciding not to proceed with the applications to review and interpret the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2008 decision on Batu Puteh.

He said Wan Azizah, former finance minister Lim Guan Eng and former home minister Muhyiddin Yassin, among others, were present during the Cabinet meeting where the issue was raised.

However, the RCI said the then prime minister had written to the solicitor-general on May 21, 2018, stating that “to my view, this effort need not be continued” – a reference to the ICJ applications.

The solicitor-general then informed Singapore that Malaysia would be dropping both legal applications, the commission said in its declassified report.

The RCI said Singapore was informed of this at 9am on May 23, 2018. The Cabinet only met at 9.30am that day and discussed the issue later in the meeting under “other matters”.

The commission had also recommended a police report be filed against Mahathir for cheating, though two RCI members – retired apex court judge Zainun Ali and legal expert Faridah Jalil – dissented.

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