Badawi, SBY discuss friendship and crisis

Erwida Maulia, THE JAKARTA POST, JAKARTA | Wed, 03/18/2009 9:01 AM

Badawi said mass layoffs were “inevitable” amid the global economic downturn in Malaysia and Indonesia.

"What is happening here is happening in every country. Economic crises will always impact on employment," he told a joint press conference with Yudhoyono after talks at the State Palace, Jakarta.

The two agreed to boost coordination in handling problems with Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.

Badawi said Malaysia had launched an economic stimulus package to curb the number of layoffs.

The Indonesian government has expressed concerns about the two million Indonesian workers currently employed in Malaysia, claiming 300,000 are facing retrenchment because of declining product orders.

Badawi, who promised last year to step down from office this month, said he hoped the next leader of Malaysia would continue to strengthen ties between the two nations, considering relations have been shaky in the past.

“I feel the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia, including my own personal relationship with President Yudhoyono and the ties between our members of Cabinet, are currently strong,” he said at the launch of annual dialogue between Malaysia and Indonesia.

“And we have pledged our relationship matures and grows into knowledge-based relations,” he added.

Yudhoyono, in response, said Indonesia and Malaysia could not avoid having different views and even disputes over several issues given their geographic and historical closeness.

This, however, should not prevent the nations from prioritizing their mutual interests about other differences, he said.

“Even though Pak Lah (Badawi) will soon leave the government and I will leave it too, someday, I believe this spirit of togetherness and the partnership that we’ve built will continue to expand in the future,” Yudhoyono said.

Tuesday’s meeting between Yudhoyono and Badawi was their third encounter in recent months after discussions at the ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand, and meetings at the World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta last month.

Both Yudhoyono and Badawi jointly opened official dialogue aimed at strengthening the historical collective memories of the two nations following recommendations by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Indonesia-Malaysia.

EPG Indonesia-Malaysia was set up during their fifth annual consultative meeting in Kuala Lumpur in July 2008 to tackle problems that often cropped up between the two neighboring countries.

The group recommended that Malaysia and Indonesia continue enhancing relationships and boost cooperation in economic, social, culture, education, media and youth affairs.