Why Malaysia is fighting Singapore over a rock
Pedra Branca may seem insignificant, but it could be key to stirring up nationalist fervour ahead of an election and realising a sultan’s long-held ambition
Against the backdrop of the high-stakes, multi-nation territorial row in the oil and gas-rich South China Sea, a freshly reopened dispute between Singapore and Malaysia over a rocky outcrop may seem insignificant.
But political observers say Kuala Lumpur’s latest bid to win control of the isle of Pedra Branca puts on full display how even the most benign contests over territory are underpinned by complex domestic factors.
Malaysia’s latest legal bid, the experts say, could be an attempt by the current government to stir up nationalist fervour against convenient smaller neighbour Singapore ahead of a key general election.
A powerful regional monarch’s keen interest in the isle could also be behind the move.
Revealed: Malaysia’s ‘new evidence’ in island row against Singapore
Malaysia on February 3 informed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that it had uncovered three British archive documents that it believed would overturn the top UN court’s decision in 2008 that the isle belongs to Singapore.
The ruling at the time put an end to a protracted dispute between the two countries that began in 1979 when Malaysia, which refers to the outcrop as Pulau Batu Puteh, published a map depicting it as within its territorial waters.