Megawati bids tearful farewell to Mahathir

Megawati bids tearful farewell to Mahathir

The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri, as chairwoman of
the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), bid a tearful
farewell to retiring Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad
during the ninth ASEAN Summit on Tuesday.

The Bali summit is Mahathir's last ASEAN meeting before his
announced retirement later this month.

"This is the very last summit to be graced by the presence of
a dear colleague, who is also a steadfast friend to us all.
Today, we take the opportunity to say a fond farewell to His
Excellency Dr. Mahathir Mohamad," Megawati said.

Delivering the speech after signing the Bali Concord II,
Megawati said the statesmanship of Mahathir would always
influence the 10 ASEAN member countries.

"He always had strong and informed views and never hesitated
to say the unpleasant. That is why I can say with confidence that
Dr. Mahathir may leave office, but he will never abandon
involvement with ASEAN," Megawati said.

After the downfall of former Indonesian president Soeharto in
1998, Mahathir became the most senior leader among ASEAN member
countries.

Unlike Soeharto, who was forced from the presidential office
in the face of massive protests against his corrupt rule,
Mahathir leaves his post with the respect of Malaysians and ASEAN
member countries.

The upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit
in Thailand will be the last international convention to be
attended by Mahathir.

In his response to Megawati's speech, Mahathir expressed
gratitude for the support and assistance of ASEAN member
countries during his 22 years as Malaysia's prime minister.

"To be honored by my fellow leaders in ASEAN is indeed
something special ... I am grateful to all of you for your
support, assistance and above all friendship," the prime minister
said.

He said he hoped the ASEAN member countries would not
disregard the principles that keep them together.

"The principles of noninterference, of consensus based
decision making, national and regional resilience, respect for
national sovereignty, the renunciation of the threat of the use
of force in the settlement of differences and disputes, must
always be upheld by ASEAN countries," Mahathir underlined.

After the farewell remarks, Megawati presented Mahathir with a
framed-photo of the 10 ASEAN leaders taken at an earlier photo
session and hosted a gala dinner for the retiring prime minister.