Latest news with #TunDrMahathirMohamad

Only the guilty need immunity, says former Malaysian PM Mahathir on disputed island Batu Putih issue

Asia News Network

6 hours ago

Politics
Asia News Network

Only the guilty need immunity, says former Malaysian PM Mahathir on disputed island Batu Putih issue

PETALING JAYA – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he does not need legal immunity over the Batu Puteh issue. 'Immunity is for people who are afraid to go to court because they know they are guilty. I know I am innocent and I want to prove it,' the former prime minister said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (July 23). He said Parliament had 'found him guilty' over his role in the Batu Puteh issue. 'In the Dewan Rakyat yesterday (July 22), I was found guilty in the case of not making an appeal over Batu Putih,' he said. 'Even though I was found guilty, no action will be taken because of my age. 'The one who found me guilty is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. 'He also said no action should be taken against me because I am 100 years old,' he said. Anwar in Parliament on Tuesday had said although an inquiry had found Dr Mahathir likely responsible for the loss of Batu Puteh to Singapore, no legal action was initiated due to his age. In February 2024, the government announced that His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, had consented to the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the government's 2018 decision to withdraw Malaysia's application to review the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision on the sovereignty of Batu Puteh. At the time, Dr Mahathir led the government. In 2008, the ICJ ruled that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, while Batuan Tengah was awarded to Malaysia. It also ruled that the ownership of Tubir Selatan should be determined based on the delimitation of territorial waters. The RCI, which concluded in December 2024, found weaknesses in the handling of sovereignty issues involving Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan.

News@9: Today's top headlines - July 23, 2025 [WATCH]

New Straits Times

20 hours ago

Politics
New Straits Times

News@9: Today's top headlines - July 23, 2025 [WATCH]

Here are today's biggest stories. Act now Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ordered ministers to act decisively on recurring issues flagged in the Auditor General's Report. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad challenged the government to prove any wrongdoing over Pulau Batu Puteh in court. Bad gamble Police break up multi-state lottery scam syndicate linked to 15 cases, with losses nearing RM200,000. Must be observed Employers are required to observe the new public holiday on Sept 15, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.

'I don't want immunity': Mahathir responds to Anwar on Batu Puteh

The Sun

a day ago

Politics
The Sun

'I don't want immunity': Mahathir responds to Anwar on Batu Puteh

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) said he is prepared to defend himself in court over Malaysia's decision to withdraw its claim to Pulau Batu Puteh, stressing that age should not be a factor in the matter. His remarks came in response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement in the Dewan Rakyat where he said the Cabinet had decided not to pursue legal action against Dr Mahathir due to his advanced age. 'Yesterday in the Dewan Rakyat, I was found guilty in the case of Malaysia's withdrawal of its claim to Pulau Batu Puteh. 'Despite that, no action was taken against me because of my age,' Mahathir said in a statement today. He expressed concern over the language used, noting that only the courts and public prosecutors have the authority to determine guilt. 'He (Anwar) said no action was taken against me because I am 100 years old. It means I have immunity over the issue. 'I don't want any immunity. If you accuse me of being guilty, bring me to court and prove it. I know I am innocent and I want to prove it too,' he said. Dr Mahathir added that immunity is typically sought by those unwilling to face trial, suggesting he had no such hesitation. In Dec 2024, a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) recommended a criminal investigation into Dr Mahathir under Sections 415(b) and 418 of the Penal Code. The recommendation centred on the 2018 decision by his administration to withdraw Malaysia's application for a review of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) ruling on Pulau Batu Puteh. The 2008 ICJ ruling had determined that Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia, and that ownership of South Ledge would depend on maritime delimitation. The RCI concluded that a civil suit against the former prime minister was not feasible due to the six-year limitation period and did not propose that Malaysia seek a fresh interpretation of the ICJ judgment, although the option remains available.

Batu Puteh RCI: No further action against Dr Mahathir due to age factor

Sinar Daily

2 days ago

Politics
Sinar Daily

Batu Puteh RCI: No further action against Dr Mahathir due to age factor

The Prime Minister said that although he believed a serious wrongdoing had occurred, the Cabinet had decided not to pursue further action as Dr Mahathir is now 100 years old. 22 Jul 2025 03:55pm Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Photo by Bernama Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. KUALA LUMPUR - The government has decided not to proceed with action against former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the issue of sovereignty involving Pulau Batu Puteh, which was raised in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), due to age-related considerations, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said that although he believed a serious wrongdoing had occurred, the Cabinet had decided not to pursue further action as Dr Mahathir is now 100 years old. "We made the decision because it involves a former Prime Minister who is 100 years old. Was he not at fault? He was. Should we take action? … in the Cabinet, I agreed that no action should be taken. If we did, (the MP for) Kota Bharu would be shouting that we are being unfair. "... He is already 100... the mistake is serious, but we should not proceed,' he said during Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today. He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu), who had asked why the Pulau Batu Puteh RCI had been withdrawn. Anwar stressed that although the government had decided not to pursue action, this did not mean the wrongdoing had not occurred. "It's not an allegation; it is something that genuinely happened,' he said. Previously, the RCI on the Handling of Matters Related to the Sovereignty of Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge had recommended that criminal investigations be initiated against Dr Mahathir. That recommendation was among those included in the 217-page RCI report that was distributed to Members of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat. According to the report, criminal investigations could be initiated against the former Prime Minister under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 417, and also under Section 418 of the same Code. "In the context of Section 415(b), what needs to be demonstrated is that Tun Dr Mahathir had deceived the Cabinet and intentionally persuaded the Malaysian Government not to proceed with the applications (for review and interpretation of ICJ rulings), even though the decision was made unilaterally by Tun Dr Mahathir without Cabinet approval,' the report said. On May 23, 2008, the International Court of Justice ruled that Singapore had sovereignty over Batu Puteh, while Middle Rocks, located less than a kilometre from the island, belonged to Malaysia. - BERNAMA More Like This

Is The National Language Bahasa Melayu Or Bahasa Malaysia?

Rakyat Post

3 days ago

Politics
Rakyat Post

Is The National Language Bahasa Melayu Or Bahasa Malaysia?

Subscribe to our FREE Is our national language known as Bahasa Melayu or Bahasa Malaysia? The confusion is not your fault, but it's stemmed from years of name flip flopping by the government. To understand how we reached this point, we must first learn how Bahasa Malaysia came to be. Under Article 152(1) of the Federal Constitution, the national language is known as Bahasa Melayu. However, when Malaysia was formed in 1963, the language was switched to be known as Bahasa Malaysia. The reason? The name change to Bahasa Malaysia was hoped to foster unity among the many ethnic groups in the country. Then another change came again in 1986 when the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad government changed it to Bahasa Melayu. It was back to Bahasa Malaysia again under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration. So, where does that leave us? There is a strong call by linguists and experts to refer to the national language as Bahasa Melayu. According to To further prove the point, Malaysian Linguistic Society president Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin said there's no British or Australian language but English. Hashimah added that it's not Indian language but Tamil, Hindi, and so on. Mohamad Saleeh Rahamad, from UM's Department of Media and Communication Studies, added that the name change to Bahasa Malaysia didn't exactly encourage many non-Malays and Malays to take up or appreciate the language. The ostracism and stereotype towards the national language remains. Experts also believe the language should be known as Bahasa Melayu to preserve the Malay culture and heritage. With not many Malaysians speaking the Malay language correctly and speaking English more, there are fears that Bahasa Melayu will be lost. Previously, there have been calls to READ MORE : READ MORE: READ MORE: READ MORE: Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.