PM Najib Attends Jokowi's Swearing-In As President

From Roslan Ariffin JAKARTA (Indonesia), Oct 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (centre) on Monday joined 18 foreign dignitaries and nine heads of government to attend the swearing-in of Joko Widodo as the new president of Indonesia here Monday morning. The appointment of Joko or widely known as Jokowi takes place at 10 am local time (11 am Malaysian time) at the People's Consultative Assembly, Indonesia's highest constitutional body. Najib, who received a personal invitation from Jokowi to witness the Indonesian historic ceremony accompanied by his wife Rosmah Mansor, arrived here yesterday aftenoon from Kuala Lumpur with senior officials from the Prime Minister's Department and Foreign Ministry. In conjunction with the visit, the prime minister will also attend a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and United States Secretary of State John Kerry who are also here, soon after the ceremony to appoint Indonesia's seventh president concluded. During the meeting, Najib is expected to discuss various topics and current affairs faced globally today, including the Ebola outbreak and the Islamic State (IS) militant group threat. Meanwhile at the event in conjunction with his appointment, Jokowi will make his maiden speech as the new president which will be broadcast live throughout the republic to reflect the planning and efforts that Jokowi is expected to make in developing Indonesia in the next five years. Jokowi takes over from Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has been in office since 2004. Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo won the hotly contested Indonesian presidential election on July 22, beating Prabowo Subianto, a retired army general. Strict control and road blocks by the authorities saw the capital city of 10 million residents facing massive traffic jams since Sunday. Some 24,000 security and police forces have been deployed throughout the this city to ensure the two-hour event runs smoothly. (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA