KUALA LUMPUR: A coalition of 20 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) filed a police report against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today, accusing the former prime minister of lying about the Batu Puteh issue.
Sekretariat Gerak Gempur Media Sosial Rakyat said that the report was made to allow the police to investigate potential negligence or abuse of power by Dr Mahathir.
Its deputy chairman Shahbudin Embun said the report was based on findings from the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) regarding Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge.
"We will not tolerate any form of abuse," he said at a press conference outside the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters today, as reported by FMT.
He also revealed that similar reports had been filed in several other states, including Johor, Penang, and Perlis.
The RCI had previously disclosed that Dr Mahathir sent a letter to the Attorney General on May 21, 2018, saying that Malaysia should not proceed with the International Court of Justice's application regarding Batu Puteh.
This information was then communicated to Singapore, confirming that Malaysia would withdraw both applications.
However, the RCI noted that Singapore was informed of the decision at 9am on May 23, 2018, while the cabinet meeting discussing the matter under "other matters" was only held at 9.30am the same day.
Dr Mahathir denied the RCI's report, claiming it contained numerous inaccuracies.
He said that many discussions during the RCI proceedings were not made public, and most of the recommendations in the declassified report had been redacted.
Dr Mahathir reiterated that the decision was not made unilaterally by him, but rather was a collective cabinet decision.