‘Why is govt focusing on faraway Spratlys instead of nearby Pulau Batu Puteh?’

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has questioned the government’s decision to focus on the ownership of the Spratly Islands, which is thousands of kilometres away, instead of Pulau Batu Puteh, which lies 23.7km from the country’s borders.

Umno’s Strategic Communications Unit, in a statement, said Pulau Batu Puteh had formed part of the nation’s maritime territory and sovereignty since the Johor empire in the 16th century.

It said logically, Pulau Batu Puteh should be claimed based on existing documents, which should be submitted again to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“Umno cannot accept the logic behind Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s and Pakatan Harapan’s ‘game’ in the case of Pulau Batu Puteh, or Pedra Branca, as the claim on it was made even when Dr Mahathir was the fourth prime minister.

“We support Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian’s wish to meet Dr Mahathir to negotiate the Pulau Batu Puteh issue, as well as that of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project with Singapore.

“Was the decision to drop Malaysia’s claim on Pulau Batu Puteh among the items agreed upon in the negotiations between Dr Mahathir and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last month as a ‘condition’ to cancel the HSR?”

It said if this was the case, then the government appeared to have peddled away its dignity and sovereignty to preserve its interests with a neighbouring country. This, it said, was unacceptable, especially for the people of Johor.

At the same time, Umno welcomed the prime minister’s statement that Malaysia must press on with its claim over islands in the South China Sea.

This, said the party, reflected the government’s concern about matters relating to the country’s sovereignty and claim on Pulau Layang-Layang, which it holds and had developed.

“However, Umno finds it odd that he (Dr Mahathir) chose to drop the country’s claim on Pulau Batu Puteh owned by Johor, which is located only 12.8 nautical miles (23.7km) from Malaysia’s borders.

“It appears that the government places greater importance on the Spratly Islands, which is 1,688km away, as the only aspect that needs to be defended,” it said.

It questioned the actions of the cabinet as well as the rakyat, especially Pakatan Harapan supporters, who remained silent when Malaysia’s claim on Pulau Batu Puteh was dropped.

“Are they afraid of going against Dr Mahathir, who practises politics of ‘corporate and legalistic entity’?

“In other words, they concur with all of the prime minister’s decision, as if he made the decisions unilaterally and cannot be objected to by anyone else,” he said.

Umno hoped the issue of Pulau Batu Puteh would return to the negotiation table of the prime minister and the Johor menteri besar.

Tne party said there was no use in speaking about integrity and sovereignty if one could so easily accede to personal political interest.

“It is dismaying to note that his authoritarian style and era is being practised again in this cyber age, as seen in his directive to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to focus on digging up the faults of the previous administration.

“If this practice of vengeance remains commonplace in PH, the people will face a muddled administration when Malaysia’s foreign policies should be uniform to preserve its sovereignty, even with a change of government.”