ID :
246238
Wed, 07/04/2012 - 05:15
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/246238
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Malaysia Mulls Appointing Spokesperson to Handle Malaysia-Indonesia Issues
By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA, July 4 (Bernama) -- Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysia may appoint an
official government spokesperson to help handle issues that crop up between
Malaysia and Indonesia.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the Malaysian government thought this was
necessary to ensure any issue that cropped up could be handled faster and more
effectively to avoid misunderstanding about Malaysia by Indonesians to the point
of resulting in polemics.
"We will bring this up with the Cabinet to determine who should be appointed
the spokesman to handle such matters.
"Clarifications must be done quickly before an issue is raised here
(Indonesia) and causes negative perceptions," told Malaysian journalists at the
end of his visit to Jakarta on Tuesday.
Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, left for Yogyakarta tonight to
attend the Asean Education Ministers Meeting and related meetings, which will be
held tomorrow and Thursday.
The Deputy Prime Minister on Tuesday met Indonesian vice-president Boediono
to discuss bilateral cooperation and issues that often cause friction between
the peoples of the two countries.
He said the strong ties between Malaysia and Indonesia were often tested by
various problems including issues like domestic help, encroachment by fishermen
and borders.
The latest to crop up at the people-to-people level was Malaysia's proposal
to register the Tor-tor dance dan Gordang Sambilan drumbeat of the Mandailing
community in Malaysia as the country's national heritage.
At the meeting, Muhyiddin had stressed that Malaysia's plan to register the
Mandailing culture under the country's National Heritage Act was aimed at
preserving the heritage and not to claim it as its own.
Muhyiddin arrived here on Tuesday for a six-day visit to Indonesia which
besides Yogykarta, also includes Bali.
"Boediono and I also agreed that Malaysia-Indonesia ties are very good. We
also agreed thar meetings between the leaders of the two countries should be
continued on a more regular basis," he said.
Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, also held meetings with the
leaders of Indonesia's biggest three political parties.
They were Golkar president Aburizal Bakrie, Democratic Party president,
Annas Urbaningrum and Parti Demokrasi Indonesia-Perjuangan (PDI-P) president,
Megawati Sokarnoputeri.
Muhyiddin said the meetings were very fruitful to further boost relations
between Malaysia and Indonesia.
Also in the Umno delegation were Umno vice-president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi,
Umno supreme council member Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Umno Women chief Shahrizat
Abdul Jalil, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Puteri Umno chief Rosnah
Abdul Rashid Shirlin.
-- BERNAMA