The political crisis in Myanmar has become a serious concern for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his partner, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
By
Kompas Team
·3 minutes read
SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin greet journalists from the veranda of the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (5/2/2021).
JAKARTA, KOMPAS —The political crisis in Myanmar has become a serious concern for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his partner, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. In a meeting in Jakarta on Friday (5/2/2021), the two Southeast Asian leaders agreed to discuss the Myanmar issue in the ASEAN forum.
Apart from the Myanmar issue, a number of other matters were discussed, including economic cooperation, protection of migrant workers and the issue of palm oil. PM Muhyiddin visited Jakarta at President Jokowi’s invitation.
Regarding Myanmar, President Jokowi and PM Muhyiddin expressed unease. “We are concerned about the political developments in Myanmar. We hope that political differences can be resolved in accordance with the applicable law. And, to realize the vision of the ASEAN community, it is important for all of us to continue to respect the principles of the ASEAN Charter, especially the principles of the rule of law, good government, democracy, human rights and constitutional governance,” said Jokowi.
As part of the large ASEAN family, the President continued, the Indonesian and Malaysian governments, through their foreign ministers, would discuss with the ASEAN chair to explore the possibility of organizing an ASEAN foreign ministers meeting regarding the issue. “Earlier, we also talked in detail about this in the meeting, we also talked about the Rohingya issue and hope this will continue to be of our concern,” said the President.
He said that what was happening now in Myanmar marked a step back in the country’s democracy.
PM Muhyiddin said that his party also regarded the political situation in Myanmar serious. He said that what was happening now in Myanmar marked a step back in the country’s democracy.
There is also concern that this situation will affect regional stability and security. “It is agreed that the two foreign ministers are mandated to seek an ASEAN-specific agreement to discuss this issue more deeply,” said PM Muhyiddin.
SEKRETARIAT PRESIDEN
President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin during a state visit welcoming procession at the courtyard of the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Friday (5/2/2021).
Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, he revealed, the two countries were determined to revitalize trade and investment. Preliminary discussions on this have already begun at the working level. Muhyiddin said he hoped the two sides could step up talks to develop standard operating procedures for the implementation of the Reciprocal Green Line scheme.
Regarding the campaign against palm oil, particularly in Europe, Australia and Oceania, PM Muhyiddin said that Indonesia and Malaysia – as the two largest producers of this commodity – would continue to cooperate to overcome discrimination against the palm oil industry.
Regarding migrant workers, the two countries plan to finalize a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the placement and protection of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.
Current situation
In Myanmar, hundreds of teachers and students of Dagon University reportedly staged a rally in Yangon. They waved flags bearing three fingers – a symbol of the pro-democracy movement in Thailand – to declare their resistance to the military coup. “We have to fight this dictatorship,” lecturer Win Win Maw told AFP.
Meanwhile, students chanted “Long live Ms. Suu” while waving the flag of the National League for Democracy (NLD) Party led by Aung San Suu Kyi.
“I believe we have to lead this movement,” said Min Han Htet, a student. “Everyone, including students, must overthrow the military junta. We have to make sure that the junta does not resurface in the next generation,” he said.
