JAKARTA: Malaysia regards Indonesia as its closest friend and always wants to champion together the plight of Muslims around the world, Malaysia’s ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim said yesterday.
It is on this premise that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mentioned President Joko Widodo of Indonesia in his address at the ‘Muslim Solidarity for Rohingya’ gathering in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 4, he said.
He said Najib had mentioned Jokowi’s name spontaneously because the Prime Minister had a close relationship with the President and wanted to invite him to champion together the plight of the Rohingya.
Zahrain provided the clarification when commenting on reports by several Indonesian media that Najib had, in his address, insinuated that the Indonesian President was insensitive to the Rohingya issue.
Najib had been quoted as having asked Jokowi and the Indonesian people to organise rallies to show their sympathy for the Rohingya and not just gather in protest against Ahok.
Ahok is Jakarta Governor Basuki Thahaja Purnama against whom hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Indonesia gathered in protest twice in Jakarta in early November and December for his having allegedly insulted Islam.
Zahrain said it was not Najib’s intention to interfere in the Ahok case but he only wanted to invite Jokowi to champion together the plight of Muslims in Myanmar who were being allegedly subjected to mistreatment by the authorities.
He said Najib had wanted to evoke the spirit of the Asean community so as to be united in fighting oppression of people in member countries of the regional grouping.
“The Rohingya issue is real and Malaysia’s bold move in raising it had attracted the attention of all quarters,” he said.
On another matter, Zahrain said Indonesia’s Tempo magazine which carried a report on an interview with Bersih leader Maria Chin Abdullah should also carry an explanation from Malaysian authorities so that the Indonesian people received accurate and complete information.
He said Maria Chin had made various allegations, including claiming that she was subjected to solitary confinement, denied access to the outside world and had no fan and mattress in her cell.
Zahrain said it was the right and prerogative of the security forces to detain for investigation anyone suspected of or found to have violated state laws and subsequently prosecute the individual.
The ambassador said the Bersih rallies had deviated from their objective of seeking what was claimed to be free and fair elections in Malaysia to become a tool of the opposition to attempt to topple the government through street demonstrations. — Bernama