‘Will we get Batu Puteh back by punishing Dr Mahathir?’ PKR MP calls for proposed criminal probe against former PM dropped

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has voiced his opposition to the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s (RCI) suggestion to lodge a police report against former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over Malaysia’s loss of its claim to Pulau Batu Puteh.

Citing Dr Mahathir’sage and his frequent visits to the National Heart Institute (IJN), Hassan questioned the appropriateness of pursuing criminal action against the 99-year-old.

“Their findings, from a legal standpoint, have merit. However, they are a commission of inquiry,” he said when debating the RCI’s report in Dewan Rakyat.

“When they suggest filing a police report and taking criminal action against Dr Mahathir, who is almost 100 years old and frequently in and out of the IJN, are we really prepared to do this to a former prime minister?”

Hassan, a member of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s party PKR, then emphasised the need for fairness.

“You know I am not a die-hard supporter of Dr Mahathir; I am a strong critic of him. But we need to be fair.

“If we punish Dr Mahathir, will we regain Batu Puteh?” he asked.

He said Dr Mahathir’s contributions to the nation should be acknowledged — citing Putrajaya and the North-South Expressway as examples.

“Surely, Dr Mahathir has contributed something to this country. Many ministers here have their offices in Putrajaya-who built it? When we travel back to Kangar or Johor, who built the highways we use?

“When we leave Parliament and see the brightly lit, world-famous buildings at night, who built them?” he asked.

The RCI had in a 217-page report distributed to MPs recommended a criminal investigation against Dr Mahathir.

According to the report, it can be initiated under Section 415 (b) of the Penal Code and he can be punished under Section 417 of the same Code and also under Section 418 of the same Code.