SEVERAL Malaysian politicians have asked the government to keep a close eye on two Malaysian islands to ensure they will not be lost to Singapore, like Pedra Branca was.
One of the Malaysian-owned islands is Pulau Pisang, on which Singapore operates a lighthouse. The other is Pulau Merambong off Tuas.
Umno-owned mass-selling newspaper Utusan Malaysia yesterday reported on its Page 1 the comments by a Johor MP who said the government must quickly draw up a programme to develop Pulau Pisang to ensure Malaysian sovereignty would not be lost.
The daily also published a big file picture of Pulau Pisang which showed the lighthouse at its centre.
The lighthouse on Pulau Pisang is managed by Singapore under an agreement in 1885 between the ruler of Johor and the governor of the Straits Settlements.
The MP for Pontian, a Johor constituency that includes the island, Mr Ahmad Maslan, said the Pulau Pisang lighthouse has a history 'similar' to Pulau Batu Puteh, the Malaysian name for Pedra Branca.
'Taking a leaf from the bitter experience of Johoreans when Batu Puteh fell under the ownership of Singapore, it is not right for Pulau Pisang to receive the same fate if ownership claims were to be made one day,' he said.
Mr Hamim Samuri, an Umno MP from Johor, said in Parliament yesterday that the government must learn from the Pedra Branca experience and keep an eye on Singapore's activities near Malaysia.
'We have to carefully watch Pulau Merambong which is near Tuas,' he said.
Referring to Pulau Pisang, he said the government must ensure that it is not lost to Singapore as well.
'The Singaporeans fly their flag on the lighthouse there. It gives the impression that they have sovereignty over the island,' he said.
Malaysian MPs slam govt for losing Pedra Branca
Parliament debate shows island issue could become a political hot potato
Carolyn Hong, Straits Times 27 May 08;
KUALA LUMPUR - THE 'loss' of Pedra Branca to Singapore became a topic of debate in Parliament yesterday as several MPs expressed unhappiness at the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The debate was led by several Johor Members of Parliament, as well as opposition leaders.
The vocal Datuk Puad Zarkashi, an Umno MP from Johor, said Malaysia lost because it failed to archive its historical documents properly.
He lambasted the government for failing to locate a crucial letter from the British colonial government seeking the Johor sultan's permission to build a lighthouse on the island which he described as a key piece of evidence.
'As a Johorean, I am disappointed. We lost, simple as that. I don't believe in the win-win situation as claimed by the government,' he said.
The debate in Parliament came after a weekend of measured response from politicians and the media, and is an indication that the loss of the island could become a political hot potato.
The MPs had been briefed in advance of the ICJ verdict last Friday as the government attempted to moderate the response to the decision, but strong sentiments are beginning to surface.
The opposition has also jumped onto the bandwagon to blame the government for its poor handling of the case.
The opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) in Johor yesterday lodged a police report against former foreign minister Syed Hamid Albar for having been 'careless' in the handling of the case.
'They did not do anything against Singapore when it constructed buildings and a light house on the island,' Johor PAS information chief Mazlan Alimin said.
The party is also planning to table a motion in Parliament today to debate the matter.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim wrote in his blog yesterday that the ICJ decision was a bitter pill, and attacked the Malaysian government for its weak case.
'Malaysians should express their anger and regret at the carelessness, and protest to the Umno and BN-led government, and Attorney-General,' he said.
His wife, Wan Azizah Ismail, an MP from Penang, said in Parliament that Malaysians were saddened by the decision, against which there was no appeal.
Mr Mahfuz Omar, a PAS MP from Kedah, blamed the Attorney-General for failing to advise the government adequately.
Independent MP Ibrahim Ali urged the government to be wary of Singapore, pointing out that the Republic has a water treatment plant in Pulai which was manned by its personnel.
'I have been made to understand that it is big, and if it was to overflow, half of Johor will be flooded,' he said.
Meanwhile, Malaysian analyst Datuk Dr Cheah See Kian was quoted in the Nanyang Siang Pau yesterday as saying that the ICJ decision could have military and strategic significance for Singapore.
He said Pedra Branca was a strategic spot from the military point of view, and that it could even be used as a new naval base.
'Although we are not certain whether there are oilfields around Pedra Branca, Singapore has achieved a historical breakthrough with the verdict,' he said.
Win-win? It’s more like win-lose
Malaysian politicians upset over ICJ ruling
Today Online 27 May 08;
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian politicians have stepped up their “republic-bashing” — as the Malaysian media puts it — following the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision on Pedra Branca last Friday.
In Parliament yesterday, there was no support for the official position that the ICJ’s decision was a win-win for Singapore and Malaysia, reported news portal The Malaysian Insider.
Johor Members of Parliament (MPs), especially, had much to say about the loss of the outcrop of rocks to Singapore.
Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said that sovereignty fell to the Republic as a result of Malaysia failing to keep a proper record of its historical documents.
The government, he noted, could not locate a letter from the British seeking permission from the Johor governmentto build a lighthouse on the island.
The letter was a piece of “valuable evidence” which could have swung the case in Malaysia’s favour, he added.
Another MP, Hamim Samuri, said: “We must watch Singapore’s activities on our territory. We have to monitor Pulau Merambung which is near Tuas in Singapore.”
He added that Malaysia had to ensure that Pulau Pisang remains in Malaysian hands.
“Singapore being awarded the island will certainly bring a lot of hardship for our fishermen in Johor waters,” Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) vice-president Nasharuddin Mat Isa was quoted as saying by :The Star: newspaper.
PAS is set to table a motion in Parliament today to debate the ICJ’s ruling.
Pulau Pisang is ours: Malaysia
Malaysia takes steps to claim 100 isles and reefs after Pedra Branca ruling
Today Online 28 May 08;
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysian reports have declared that another island — on which Singapore operates a lighthouse — will not end up like Pedra Branca, even as the Kuala Lumpur takes steps to claim 100 isles and reefs.
There is no danger of losing Pulau Pisang to Singapore as Malaysia clearly has sovereignty over Pulau Pisang, Johor’s Chief Minister was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper yesterday.
Pulau Pisang is about 15km off Johor in the Straits of Malacca.
Johor Chief Minister Abdul Ghani Othman said ownership of Pulau Pisang was based on a treaty between Sultan Ibrahim of Johor and the British in 1900, which clearly stated that Malaysia had sovereignty over the island. “Our land office records show that Pulau Pisang belongs to Johor,” he said.
A 16-metre lighthouse on the island is managed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Mr Abdul Ghani said the lighthouse guided ships into the Singapore Straits and was manned by four Singaporean guards.
He noted that Malaysians were allowed to enter the island but were prohibited from entering the lighthouse. There are also more than 80 farmers on Pulau Pisang, who work there.
The Chief Minister’s announcement came as The New Straits Times (NST) reported that government agencies are working to gather information on islands and marine features that could be eyed by neighbouring countries.
As the claim of ownership extends beyond islands to marine features such as reefs and rock formations visible only during low tide, the number could exceed thousands.
The NST report quoted a maritime expert as saying the most urgent cases to be verified were about 100 isles, reefs, rocks and other marine features lying in the South China Sea, Straits of Malacca and off Sabah. China, Vietnam and Indonesia are said to be among the claimants.
The expert, who was not named in the report, added that collection of data in such cases was crucial. “If other countries start to claim our property, we will be in better position as we would have the data.”
Meanwhile, Malaysian opposition lawmakers yesterday protested in Parliament against the loss of Batu Puteh, which Singapore calls Pedra Branca. Last Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ended a 28-year dispute over Pedra Branca by ruling that Singapore has jurisdiction over it.
Opposition MPs stood up in protest after Parti Islam SeMalaysia’s (PAS) motion to debate the ICJ ruling was rejected yesterday by Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, who said Malaysia had accepted the results on Batu Puteh.
PAS officials in Johor have also lodged a police report against former Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, Mr Abdul Ghani and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail accusing them of causing Malaysia to lose Batu Puteh.
“Malaysia should not have placed the case before ICJ without the necessary evidence,” Malaysian analyst Khoo Kay Peng said, referring to a statement made by Malaysian ambassador-at-large Abdul Kadir Mohamad previously.
In the statement, Mr Abdul Kadir said he could not locate a letter sent by a British governor in Butterworth to the Johor Temenggong seeking permission to build the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Batu Puteh.
Mr Khoo said: “Abdullah might have wanted to have the case settled as soon as possible to help warm bilateral ties, but it is not doing any good for his political career.”