The Effect of Irrelevance of Pisang Island Lighthouse to the 1900 Agreement Between Sultan of Johor and Straits Settlement Government

Abstract

The agreement on the establishment of lighthouse on Pisang Island by British was initiated subsequent to the agreement between Sultan of Johor and Strait Settlement Government in February 1885. The agreement gives right and possession to the Strait Settlement Government to operate the lighthouse perpetuity. The agreement inherited by Singapore. Malaysia has full sovereignty over Pisang Island and was acknowledged by the Parliament of Singapore in 2003. GNSS carriage onboard commercial vessels has turned the lighthouse as irrelevant for the current navigational needs. Furthermore, radar tower is required to support the VTIS operation in the Strait of Malacca. The objective of research is to identify whether the irrelevancy of existing lighthouse will affect the contract between Malaysia and Singapore by looking into the principle of contract law. In addition, the research aims to identify the available solutions for Malaysia to gain possession on the lighthouse’s site without jeopardizing the right of Singapore. In achieving the objective and solution of research, the paper discusses and examines the situation by referring to the main sources of law such as statues, cases, and principles under the law of contract and other related laws. It is doctrinal research that descriptive in nature.