It seems that every few months, a Malaysian Minister will voice out on why Pedra Branca, or Pulau Batu Puteh to them, does not rightly belong to Singapore. The latest to voice out is Johor's Menteri Besr Osaman Sapian, who slammed the previous state government for the loss of Pedra Branca to Singapore. He claimed that the then Barisan Nasional state government "kept quiet" when Singapore erected a telecommunications tower on the island, also known as Pulau Batu Puteh, in 1997.
He also claimed the previous administration did not object to the plan by Singapore to reclaim the sea area off the island. So, the government of the day there starting their blame game early already, and of course, picks on Singapore as a convenient excuse to be in the centre of the storm.
What the good minister forgot that the ICJ awarded Pedra Branca way back in 2008. And in their ruling, it was clearly stated that Singapore had already been a presence on Pedra Branca since the 1800s. So, what Malaysian presence is he talking about? Stop it lah!
