KUALA LUMPUR: An Umno Supreme Council member has accused former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of "making excuses" to avoid facing the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge issue.
In a Facebook post, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi hit out at Mahathir over his opposition to the appointment of former chief justice Tun Md Raus Sharif as the RCI chairman.
Last week, Mahathir's lawyer Rafique Rashid said Raus was not fit to lead the RCI, citing a conflict of interest, and that the former judge should also recuse himself.
Rafique said if Raus was involved in the RCI, Mahathir would be advised against participating in the inquiry.
Puad said Mahathir had no right to talk about conflicts of interest as during his second stint in office, some government appointments raised questions.
He said this included the appointment of retired Malaysian Anti-Corruption Chief deputy chief commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul as the new chief commissioner and later Latheefa Koya, a politician.
Puad said even the appointment of Tun Richard Malanjum to replace Md Raus as chief justice was also questionable.
"That is why his (Mahathir) objections should not be entertained. The people want to know why he withdrew the application to review the International Court of Justice's award of Batu Puteh's sovereignty to Singapore.
"Why wasn't it brought to the Cabinet? Why was a decision made hastily?" he said.
In 2022, then-prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said there was possible negligence and oversight on Mahathir's part over the Batu Puteh claim.
Then, Ismail said the Cabinet was told by the special task force for the case that Mahathir may have erred in withdrawing an application in 2018 to review the International Court of Justice's award of Batu Puteh's sovereignty to Singapore.