Muhyiddin-Jokowi meeting can enhance ASEAN leadership - Analyst

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Institute of Malaysian and International Studies director Prof Dr Sufian Jusoh said ASEAN currently faced various issues, among them the crisis in Myanmar after the detention of National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders by the country’s military in a coup on Monday.

“… the situation in Myanmar needs to be addressed immediately. We need the leadership in ASEAN to see how (the situation in) Myanmar can be addressed,” he said in the Malaysia Petang Ini programme titled ‘Kerjasama KL-Jakarta’ (KL-Jakarta Cooperation) on Bernama TV yesterday.

Muhyiddin arrived in Jakarta on Thursday for a two-day official visit to provide a platform for the two leaders to further strengthen the bilateral relations and cooperation of both countries.

In the four-eye meeting between Muhyiddin and Joko Widodo, or more popularly known as Jokowi, both leaders touched on various issues, among them being Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta taking a serious view of the current political situation in Myanmar, which is a step backwards in the democratic process in the country.

“It is feared that the political unrest in Myanmar could affect peace and stability in the region.

“In this regard, I completely agree with the proposal that the two foreign ministers be given the mandate to reach an agreement so that a special ASEAN meeting can be held to discuss the issue in more depth,” Muhyiddin had said.

The two leaders also discussed the implementation of the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL).

Commenting on the implementation of the RGL, Sufian said the Kuala Lumpur-Jakarta flight route was among the busiest in the world and that by opening the route itself, it would have an impact on the aviation industry.

“We have yet to look at tourism, maybe tourism will be delayed, but it’s also related to exporters… if there are no flights, it means exports will also be disrupted between the two countries,” he said.