PUTRAJAYA does not see a need to remove Mohamed Apandi Ali from chairing the special task force that is reviewing legal issues regarding Malaysia’s claim on Pulau Batu Puteh, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.

He said this following former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to walk out in protest from an interview yesterday by the task force, saying that the former attorney-general has a conflict of interest in the matter.

The de facto law minister said the Langkawi lawmaker should have taken his reservations over Apandi chairing the task force to the government earlier.

“The government sees no issue with the cabinet’s decision on October 29, 2021, to appoint Apandi as the chairman of the special task force as due consideration has been made in setting up the task force.

“Thus, any objection to the position of the task force chairman should have been brought to the government’s attention much earlier.

“It is impossible for me to simply remove Apandi as the task force chairman without any justification when the cabinet has already decided to appoint him,” Wan Junaidi said in a statement today.

The Santubong MP added that Apandi had already carried out work as chair for some seven months and even submitted an interim report on the matter to the government.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir walked out of the interview in protest after the learnt that Apandi was the chairman of the panel.

The Pejuang chairman’s lawyers claimed he had sent three letters objecting to Apandi’s appointment to the task force.

The task force was set up last October under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to review the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision to award the island to Singapore.

On May 9, 2003, Malaysia and Singapore agreed to submit their dispute over the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh and two nearby maritime features, Middle Rocks and South Ledge, to the ICJ.

In 2008, the ICJ gave the sovereignty of Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore. The court ruled that Malaysia owned Middle Rocks, while it refrained from awarding South Ledge to either country, stating that it belongs to the government in whose territorial waters it is located.

In July 2017, Malaysia filed a separate application requesting the ICJ to interpret the 2008 judgment on Pulau Batu Puteh.

However, shortly after Pakatan Haparan won the 2018 general election, Dr Mahathir announced that Malaysia would accept the ICJ ruling and would not pursue the matter. – June 29, 2022.