Malaysian PM’s Visit to Indonesia Will Be Subjected to Strict COVID-19 Preventive SOP

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 3 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s two-day visit to Indonesia will be subjected to strict COVID-19 preventative standard operating procedures (SOP). Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry or Wisma Putra, in a statement Wednesday, said the Prime Minister will be accompanied only by a small delegation who are required to take a swab test before departure and only those with negative test results within 48 hours are allowed to be part of the official visit. “Muhyiddin received a special invitation from the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to undertake an official visit to Indonesia after his appointment in March 2020. “The delegation will be flying with a special aircraft instead of commercial arrangements in order to create a travel bubble to Indonesia. “The Malaysian delegation is required to take another swab test upon arrival at the airport in Jakarta. Only individuals with negative test results which are verified by the relevant Indonesian authorities will be taken directly to their accommodation,” the statement said. It said the Malaysian delegation is prohibited from moving anywhere on their own except to designated areas of the official visit and is required to remain confined to their accommodation and designated areas of the official visit. “There will be no physical contact – handshakes, hugs or touching, throughout the duration of the official visit. “The Indonesian government has given their assurance that the official visit will be held under very strict COVID-19 preventative SOP,” it said. Wisma Putra also said that given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia and Indonesia, the Prime Minister has instructed for the duration of the official visit to be less than 24 hours and this request has been conveyed to and was well received by the Indonesian Government. In order to fulfil the logistical requirements of Muhyiddin’s official visit, Jokowi had personally instructed for the official venue of the visit to be held at Istana Merdeka in Jakarta instead of Istana Bogor in Bogor, West Java. “Programmes for the official visit have also been shortened. Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, accompanied by a small delegation of senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, will hold a discussion with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia Retno Marsudi before the start of Muhyiddin’s official visit,” the statement read. It said Muhyiddin’s meeting with Jokowi will be held on Friday morning before both leaders proceed to perform Friday prayers at Baiturrahim Mosque in the Istana Merdeka complex and to the Official Luncheon hosted by the President. After the luncheon, Muhyiddin and the Malaysian delegation will return to Malaysia and undergo mandatory quarantine as prescribed by the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH). On the significance of the visit, Wisma Putra said the invitation was accepted in the spirit of close friendship and decades of established strong bilateral relations between the two countries. “There are several matters involving the interests of both countries which require further discussion and mutual understanding including important issues such as economic cooperation, regional and bilateral security as well as joint efforts in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic. “Thus, leaders of both countries have agreed to have a face-to-face meeting,” it said. The visit is also hoped to strengthen the joint efforts to combat international discrimination against Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil, to strengthen cooperation in environmental protection, especially in addressing the issue of transboundary haze, and to increase joint efforts in the field of trade and investment. It is also important to intensify negotiations on a comprehensive level on the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) scheme for official and business travel between both countries and also for Malaysia to acquire best practices in the use of CCOVID-19 vaccines, especially since Indonesia has begun its vaccination rollout programme on its citizens. -- BERNAMA