Megawati and Badawi agree to bolster ties between RI and KL

Megawati and Badawi agree to bolster ties between RI and KL

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resorted to the
personal touch to cement a strong relationship with his host,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri, while the President herself
stuck to rigid state protocol when receiving a courtesy call from
her new colleague on Thursday.

Appearing relaxed during his meeting with the President at the
State Palace, Badawi won Megawati's approval to avoid circumvent
normal channels and instead use the telephone for consultation
when bilateral problems arose that needed speedy solutions.

Citing the importance of strengthening communications between
the two leaders, Badawi said he was ready to talk on the phone
with Megawati whenever an urgent problem arose.

"We need to enhance our contacts. Should there be urgent
issues, we can discuss them over the phone so that quick action
can be taken to resolve the difficulties," Badawi said during a
joint press conference with Megawati after their one-on-one
discussions.

Megawati, who bid a tearful farewell to Badawi's predecessor
Mahathir Mohamad in Bali last October, proved herself to be a
warm host not only when she and her guest were discussing affairs
of state, but also over a relaxed lunch.

However, she also still sticks to the rigid state protocol
issued by then president Soeharto when receiving foreign leaders.
Unlike her predecessor, Abdurrahman Wahid, who usually personally
welcomed his guests at the airport, Megawati assigned her foreign
minister Hassan Wirayuda to greet Badawi, who flew in on a Royal
Malaysian Air Force plane to the Halim Perdanakusuma airport.

The Malaysian prime minister proved that he was serious about
finding quick solutions to bilateral problems. The two leaders
managed to make a breakthrough in the previously deadlocked
negotiations on a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the
recruitment of Indonesian migrant workers.

Badawi said the MoU would soon be signed by the two
governments.

"We are now at the final stage of discussions on the new MoU
on Indonesian migrant workers. This new deal will minimize
potential problems in the future," the prime minister said.

The new deal will cover a number of technical issues such as
recruitment arrangements, minimum wages and the welfare of the
workers. Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said the new
deal would be signed during the first semester of this year.

Speaking in Malay, Badawi pointed out that he would meet
Megawati again in Indonesia some time this year for the annual
informal get-together between Malaysian and Indonesian leaders.

"This is to ensure that there are no postponements and that
there is no possibility of the meeting not being held. If there
is a fixed schedule, this will not happen," the prime minister
said.

Megawati warmly welcomed his remarks, saying she was looking
forward to their next meeting.

"We will discuss the border arrangements in Sarawak, joint
patrols to deal with piracy in the Malacca strait, people
trafficking, and arms and timber smuggling," Megawati said.

About one million Indonesians work in Malaysia, mostly in the
construction and oil palm plantation sector. In 2002, Mahathir
instituted draconian measures to reduce the number of illegal
workers in the neighboring country. About 500,000 illegal
Indonesian workers were deported from Malaysia at the time.

Meanwhile, according to Megawati, she and her counterpart
agreed to step up collaboration in the oil and gas field,
including collaboration between Malaysia's Petronas and
Indonesia's Pertamina.

"We also reconfirmed our commitment to intensifying efforts to
eliminate international terrorism," said the President.

Badawi left Jakarta on Thursday afternoon. He also plans to
visit other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in the near future as part of his introductory tour.