Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Seeks to Foster Better Relations Amidst Historical Dispute.
SINGAPORE: Malaysia has requested its attorney-general to clarify claims regarding Pedra Branca, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced on Wednesday (Dec 14). He expressed hopes for discussions with Singapore to prevent any potential problems between the two neighboring countries.
“We asked the attorney-general to clarify the controversy surrounding Batu Puteh, which has been awarded to Singapore by the ICJ (International Court of Justice),” Mr. Anwar stated following a Cabinet meeting, using Malaysia’s name for the island. He emphasized that his government aims to reassess “related consequences” to facilitate more “meaningful and immediate” discussions with Singapore.
This marks the first time Mr. Anwar has addressed the Pedra Branca issue as Malaysia’s leader. His predecessor, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, had indicated in October that the Cabinet agreed to pursue legal action at the ICJ regarding the matter. In response, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its readiness to “robustly defend” its sovereignty over Pedra Branca, situated near the eastern entrance of the Straits of Singapore, approximately 44 km east of mainland Singapore.
The dispute over Pedra Branca traces back to 1979 when Malaysia published a map indicating the island within its territorial waters. The matter was escalated to the ICJ in 2003, which ruled on May 23, 2008, that Singapore holds sovereignty over Pedra Branca, while Middle Rocks was awarded to Malaysia, and South Ledge belongs to the state in whose territorial waters it is located.
“After the Court’s decision, both Singapore and Malaysia publicly announced their acceptance of the Court’s ruling as final,” stated the MFA. In 2017, Malaysia initiated an application for revision and a request for interpretation of the 2008 decision, which was subsequently withdrawn in 2018. Under the Court’s Statute, an application for revision cannot be made after ten years from the date of the 2008 judgment, which expired in May 2018.
Mr. Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on Nov 24 after Malaysia’s 15th general election. He leads a unity government comprising his coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH), and the previous ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), among other parties. BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is also one of two deputy prime ministers in Mr. Anwar’s Cabinet.
