PUTRAJAYA: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge will be debated in the Dewan Rakyat next week, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil (pic).
Although the matter was not discussed in detail during the Cabinet meeting yesterday, he said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had informed them that it would be debated in the Dewan “possibly on Wednesday or Thursday (next week)”.
The RCI’s declassified report, released on Thursday, stated that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had unilaterally decided to withdraw applications to review and interpret the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) 2008 decision to award Batu Puteh to Singapore.
According to the RCI, Dr Mahathir had written to the solicitor-general on May 21, 2018, stating that “to my view, this effort (the applications) need not be continued”.
The commission concluded that the decision was made without Cabinet consensus and recommended criminal investigations against Dr Mahathir under Section 415(b) of the Penal Code for cheating.
In 2008, the ICJ granted Middle Rocks to Malaysia and Batu Puteh to Singapore, while leaving the ownership of South Ledge to be determined based on the delimitation of territorial waters.
On Feb 3, 2017, Putrajaya submitted an application to review the ICJ’s decision that awarded Batu Puteh to Singapore.
About four months later, Putrajaya filed a separate application seeking clarification on the ICJ’s judgment, particularly to address ambiguities and implications related to South Ledge’s status.
But following Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the May 2018 general election, the Dr Mahathir-led administration withdrew both applications before they could be heard in June 2018.
On another matter, Fahmi told reporters at his ministry’s weekly press briefing yesterday that the Malaysian Media Council Bill had received Cabinet approval and would be tabled in Parliament next week.
This is a positive milestone for the nation’s media landscape, he said, adding: “It’s on track, finally.”“If time permits, it will be debated and have its second reading this meeting. Otherwise, it will be scheduled for the next session.”
The Malaysian Media Council is expected to function as a regulatory body to safeguard the media industry.
Regarding delays involving two key national digital initiatives –the MyDigital ID programme and the rollout of the dual 5G network – Fahmi said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has issued a mid-December deadline on this.As of Thursday afternoon, the number of registrations stood at only 1.319 million, he said.
On the dual 5G network initiative, he said Digital Nasional Berhad (DNB) has to submit an updated business plan to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for review, including plans for additional spectrum allocation.
Fahmi also provided updates on the flood situation, saying that 323 transmission stations across four states have been impacted by severe flooding.
Of that figure, Fahmi said 267 were restored to full operation while 56 remained non-operational as of 9am yesterday.
Kelantan, he said, bore the brunt of the damage with 264 stations affected, followed by 49 in Terengganu, nine in Pahang and one in Johor.
Additionally, he said 91 National Information Dissemination Centres were disrupted by the floods.
“Out of these, 81 have resumed operations while 10 remain offline. Efforts are ongoing to bring these facilities back to full functionality,” Fahmi added.
He also highlighted the number of evacuees at 96 temporary relief centres (PPS), which currently stands at 25,599 people.
As of 9am yesterday, he said 120 PPS remain operational, though some have since closed as conditions improve.
According to him, 23 PPS have been equipped with free Wi-Fi so that evacuees have access to communication services.
