Mahathir’s lawyer slams Anwar over Malaysia’s ‘politically motivated’ reopening of Singapore’s Pedra Branca issue

It continues to be a touchy topic in Malaysia, which filed a review of the judgment in 2017, despite the ICJ overwhelmingly siding with Singapore on Pedra Branca.

Such inquiries are reserved for major matters and the RCI has considerable powers in subpoenaing witnesses.

This latest inquiry will be only the 14th in Malaysia’s history since independence in 1957. Past inquiries had looked into matters such as the discovery of mass graves of undocumented migrants along the Malaysia-Thailand border in 2015, and the injuries sustained by Anwar while he was in police custody in 1999.

“It is not too far off to call this politically motivated and a political pressure on Tun Mahathir by none other than Anwar Ibrahim,” Rafique Rasyid, a lawyer for the two-time premier, told This Week in Asia.

Anwar was famously sacked as Malaysia’s deputy prime minister in 1998 following a fallout with his previous mentor and then-premier Mahathir. He was subsequently jailed for sodomy, which he maintains are trumped-up charges against him.

Critics say Anwar, who became prime minister in November 2022, is seeking revenge against Mahathir and his associates, following a recent string of corruption investigations into his son Mirzan Mahathir and his close ally, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin.

On Tuesday, Daim’s wife Naimah was charged in court with failure to declare assets, further sparking accusations that Anwar is using such investigations to settle scores with his foes.

The inquiry will commence in February, after the appointment of the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ismail, as Malaysia’s 17th king, according to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after the cabinet met to discuss the matter.

Sultan Ibrahim has been one of the most vocal