KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet today agreed to establish the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into the issues in the handling of the territorial case involving Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and the South Ledge.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Zuki Mohd Ali said the RCI will be conducted in accordance with the Investigation Commission Act 1950 (Act 119).
The suggestion of the composition of members in the RCI, he said, will be brought to the attention of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"We will take into consideration the vast experience in judicial and legal affairs and public administration when deciding the membership in the RCI.
"In addition, members in the RCI must be capable of carrying out investigations with transparency, fairness and integrity to prevent any issues which involve conflict of interest with the related parties," read the statement.
The suggestion to form the RCI was first made by Pengerang member of Parliament Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said in 2022.
The RCI, she said, would put to rest the events that occurred between Malaysia and Singapore since 1979 on the matter.
The then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said that there was possible negligence and oversight on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's part, when he was the prime minister, over the Pulau Batu Puteh issue.
The then cabinet under the previous administration was informed by the special task force for the case that Dr Mahathir might have made a mistake in withdrawing an application to review the International Court of Justice (ICJ) award of Pulau Batu Puteh's sovereignty to Singapore.
Dr Mahathir, however, said the move not to appeal was based on former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali's officers' advice.
In 2008, the ICJ decided that Pulau Batu Puteh belonged to Singapore, Middle Rocks to Malaysia and South Ledge, to the state in the territorial waters in which it is located.
In June 2017, Malaysia applied to the ICJ to request an interpretation of the judgment.
In 2018, the Pakatan Harapan government, under the leadership of Dr Mahathir, withdrew an application to overturn the ICJ's ruling awarding legal jurisdiction of Batu Puteh to Singapore.