Strengthening ties: Anwar and Jokowi attending a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java. — AFP
BOGOR: Malaysia’s participation in the development of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara in Kalimantan will be meaningful as it will benefit regional economies, including those of Sabah and Sarawak, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the Prime Minister said Malaysia was taking positive steps to participate in Nusantara’s development as it would be beneficial to Sabah and Sarawak.
“I am sharing that the initiative taken by Bapak President is larger than what I can do for Sabah and Sarawak,” he added.
Anwar said ties between the two countries in terms of economic and investment opportunities looked set to improve, more so with the republic shifting its capital to Nusantara.
Both leaders at the event witnessed the handover of 11 Letters of Intent from 10 Malaysian companies between International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Nusantara chief authority Bambang Susantono.
It is estimated that the projects are worth RM1.66bil.
Malaysia and Indonesia’s strategic economic and investment partnership registered bilateral trade value of at least RM120.26bil in 2022, an increase of 41.7% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, Jokowi said in a statement that Jakarta welcomed Malaysian companies’ participation in Nusantara, especially in areas such as construction, properties, electronics and renewable energy.
“I am also personally honoured that Indonesia is the first stop.
“I believe with our strong relationship, our bilateral ties will be even stronger,” Jokowi said, adding that he hoped Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta would be able to effectively counter discrimination against their palm oil industries.
On Indonesian manpower in Malaysia, both countries pledged to strengthen cooperation on protection of migrant workers’ rights.
Jokowi said employment agents should serve as facilitators and not try to make excessive profits to the extent of burdening workers.
“Problems should be resolved in a more comprehensive manner so that the fate of workers at the lower levels is protected.
“We will avoid issues that can strain ties between Malaysia and Indonesia as I want our relationship to remain special,” he said, adding that the foreign ministers of both countries should understand the two leaders’ commitment in this matter.Anwar said the outstanding Malaysia-Indonesia border issue was not complicated and he was committed to studying it with his Cabinet.“It just needs a clear determination, and I will bring it to the Cabinet soon,” he added.
At the meeting, Anwar said Malaysia would focus on downstream and digital economy programmes as implemented by the Jokowi administration.
“I will tap into his (Jokowi’s) experience and contributions, and we will help drive economic growth in Malaysia and Indonesia together more confidently,” he said.
