JAKARTA: Malaysia appreciates the Indonesian media's commitment to provide accurate and objective reports on events involving the two countries, says Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir (pic).
The Foreign Minister said balanced reporting with clear facts can educate the public and diminish the effects of fake news on social media
In a recent session with the media here, he also suggested that relations between the two countries under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is close to Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, be given attention.
"These two leaders are capable of becoming a 'new force' in Asean to strengthen cooperation and protect the stability and prosperity of the South-East Asian region," he said.
The session, organised by the Malaysian Embassy here, was held in conjunction with Zambry’s official visit to Indonesia from Dec 28 to 30. He was accompanied by the Secretary (South-East Asia department) of Wisma Putra, Roseli Abdul.
The Indonesian media congratulated Zambry on his appointment as Foreign Minister and hoped that the good relations between the two countries would continue to be strengthened.
Zambry was invited to attend the "Hari PERS Nasional" or Indonesian Journalists Day event, which will take place in Medan, North Sumatra, in February.
In addition to discussions on the issues of the Indonesian workforce in Malaysia and the prime minister's visit, the Indonesian media fraternity urged the governments of both countries to immediately combat fake news on social media.
The meeting was attended by the head of the Malaysian-Indonesian Journalists’ Association (Iswami) Indonesia Asro Kamal Rokan and Indonesian Journalists Association head Atal S. Depari.
Also present was the secretary-general of Iswami Indonesia N. Syamsuddin Ch. Haesy and representatives from Harian Kompas, MetroTV, Republika, Tempo, The Jakarta Post and tvOne. – Bernama
