OFFICIAL VISIT OF

YAB TAN SRI DATO’ SRI HAJI MUHYIDDIN BIN HAJI MOHD. YASSIN

PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA

TO THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

4-5 FEBRUARY 2021

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YAB Prime Minister Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Haji Muhyiddin bin Haji Mohd. Yassin will be undertaking his inaugural official visit to the Republic of

Indonesia from 4 to 5 February 2021. This will be YAB Prime Minister’s first official visit since assuming office in March 2020.

 

A.MALAYSIA ACCEPTS INDONESIA’S INVITATION

This official visit will be held based on several reasons, among others:

1. After his appointment in March 2020, YAB Prime Minister received a special invitation from the President of Indonesia, His Excellency Joko Widodo to undertake an official visit to Indonesia. In the spirit of close friendship and decades of established strong bilateral relations, Malaysia is pleased to accept Indonesia's invitation.

2. 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.

3. Indonesia has always been the first destination for an official visit by the Malaysian Prime Minister after assuming office, which is also the established norm that is practiced by the President of Indonesia.

 

B. OFFICIAL VISIT HELD IN BRIEF

Given the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia and Indonesia, YAB Prime Minister has instructed for the duration of the official visit to be less than 24 hours. This request has been conveyed to and was well received by the Indonesian Government.

In order to fulfil the logistical requirements of YAB Prime Minister’s official visit, the President Joko Widodo 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. The Foreign Minister, YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Hussein,  accompanied by a small delegation of senior officials from the Foreign Ministry will hold a discussion with the Foreign Minister of  Indonesia, Her Excellency Retno Marsudi before the start of YAB Prime Minister’s official visit.

YAB Prime Minister’s meeting with President Joko Widodo will be held on Friday morning. In the afternoon, both leaders will  perform Friday prayers at Baiturrahim Mosque in the Istana Merdeka complex before proceeding to the Official Luncheon hosted by  President Joko Widodo. After the luncheon, YAB Prime Minister and the Malaysian delegation will return to Malaysia and undergo  mandatory quarantine as prescribed by the Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH).

 

C. OFFICIAL VISIT WILL BE UNDERTAKEN WITH A SMALL DELEGATION AND STRICT ADHERENCE TO COVID-19

PREVENTATIVE STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP)

 

To minimize the risks of Covid-19, YAB Prime Minister will be accompanied only by a small delegation comprising the Foreign Minister,

YB Dato’ Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein, and a small group of senior government officials.

 

The official visit will also be subjected to strict Covid-19 preventative SOP as agreed upon by the MOH, NSC and the Indonesian Ministry of Health. The SOP includes:

1. The Malaysian delegation is required to take a swab test before departing to Indonesia. Only individuals with negative test results within 48 hours are allowed to be part of the official visit.

2. The delegation will be flying with a special aircraft instead of commercial arrangements in order to create a travel bubble to Indonesia.

3. 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.
4.  The Malaysian delegation is prohibited from moving anywhere on their own except to designated areas of the official visit.
5. The Malaysian delegation will remain confined to their accommodation and designated areas of the official visit.
6.  The Malaysian delegation is required to wear face masks at all times at the areas designated as venues for the official visit.  
7. There will be no physical contact – handshakes, hugs or touching, throughout the duration of the official visit.
8. The Indonesian government has given their assurance that the official visit will be held under very strict Covid-19 preventative SOP.
9. The Malaysian delegation is required to undergo mandatory quarantine as soon as they return to Malaysia as prescribed by MOH.

 

D.THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS VISIT TO MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA

 

In this official visit, the leaders of both countries will discuss efforts to address common challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic and several important matters, which include:

1. Joint efforts to combat international discrimination against Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil. Both Indonesia and Malaysia are the world’s largest exporter of palm oil. The continuity of this commodity sector is critical for the benefit of both economies. This is especially important as it will benefit over 600,000 palm oil smallholders in Malaysia.

2. To strengthen cooperation in environmental protection, especially in addressing the issue of transboundary haze.

3. To increase joint efforts in the field of trade and investment including the potential involvement of Malaysian businesses to ensure the successful implementation of Indonesia’s plan to relocate its capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan. Malaysia’s potential involvement in the project will contribute towards the regional economic recovery efforts particularly in the post-pandemic era.
4. To intensify negotiations on a comprehensive level on the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) scheme for official and business travel between both countries. It is important to highlight that this negotiation will deliberate on SOP that can be agreed upon by both countries. The RGL scheme will not be implemented immediately. The decision to implement the RGL depends on the Covid-19 status in both countries at the time and also subject to the approval of the relevant health authorities of both countries.
5. To acquire best practices in the use of Covid-19 vaccines, especially since Indonesia has begun its vaccination rollout programme on its citizens. This knowledge-sharing initiative will benefit Malaysia especially as we begin our own vaccination programme in the near future.

 

 

PUTRAJAYA

3 FEBRUARY 2021