Indonesia’s Prabowo gets top award in Malaysia as he and Anwar boast of ‘special relationship’
28/01/2025 (The Straits Times), Kuala Lumpur - President Prabowo Subianto was described as a “close friend” by the Malaysian King and a “friend and brother” by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he made a state visit to Malaysia on Jan 27, the first Asean nation he was visiting since being sworn in as Indonesia’s leader three months ago.
On his part, Mr Prabowo described his visit as akin to “pulang kampung” – returning to his home town – as he had spent part of his childhood in Malaysia.
The visit symbolises the “special relationship” between South-east Asia’s biggest economy, Indonesia, and the new chair of Asean, Malaysia, with their closely intertwined ethnic, trade and labour ties.
New Indonesian and Malaysian leaders traditionally visit each other soon after inauguration, before visiting other Asean capitals.
As Mr Prabowo, 73, put it in a joint news conference at the end of his one-day visit: “We share a historical bond, blood ties, cultural ties, and even ethnic connections. If I am not mistaken, many Malaysian leaders still have family in Indonesia. There are so many connections. I feel this should make the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia more unique.”
Bilateral trade totalled RM106.06 billion (S$32.5 billion) between January and November 2024, and the two countries together account for 85 per cent of global palm oil exports valued in 2023 at US$44.47 billion (S$59.8 billion).
There are some three million Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, mostly working in blue-collar jobs including in oil palm plantations, construction sites and factories, and as nannies or restaurant cooks.
Mr Prabowo’s visit was to fulfil an invitation by the Malaysian King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, with the welcome ceremony marked by a 21-gun salute reserved for honoured guests.
The Indonesian President was conferred the Most Esteemed Order of the Johor Royal I by the ruler, at Istana Negara.
“His Excellency President Prabowo is a close friend of His Majesty, whom he has known for over 40 years, since their military training days in the United States in the 1980s,” according to a post on the King’s official Facebook page.
At their joint news conference, Datuk Seri Anwar, 77, paid a tribute to Mr Prabowo who was by his side: “He is my friend and my brother, someone who has stood by me in both good times and bad.” Mr Anwar joked that with the new royal award, Mr Prabowo’s title was higher than his own.
Said Mr Prabowo: “Coming to Malaysia makes me feel like back to home town. I’ve studied and grown up in Malaysia. My parents are close to the founder of modern Malaysia, first and second prime ministers of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Razak Hussein.
“I felt Indonesia and Malaysia have a special relationship as the majority of us share the same language, ethnicity and religion.”
The two leaders discussed bilateral, regional and international issues, including supporting Palestinian independence and the “two-state solution”.
Mr Prabowo said: “We can settle border issues, and we will resolve bilateral and labour matters if we agree to manage them in an orderly fashion.”
Although no specific details were provided, The Straits Times understands that one of the border disputes involves Pulau Sebatik and its associated maritime boundaries.
Located south-east of Sabah and north-east of North Kalimantan, Pulau Sebatik is a shared island between Malaysia and Indonesia, lying near the oil-rich Ambalat sea block.
Mr Anwar said that bilateral cooperation in the energy sector has been agreed upon, with collaboration between Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas and its Indonesian counterpart Pertamina.
“Our commitment is to ensure that the cooperation between the two regional oil giants – Petronas and Pertamina – becomes closer, exploring new opportunities and business fields.”
Additionally, the leaders discussed the management of the palm oil industry.
“Whenever I visit certain countries, they always mention their need for palm oil – Egypt, India, Pakistan, all of them. So, I think we can do a lot of good together. And I thank Malaysia for its continued support in this matter,” said Mr Prabowo.
On migrant workers, Dr Dinna Prapto Raharja, an international relations expert at Bina Nusantara University, said the existing agreement between both countries is limited to domestic workers (Indonesian helpers), whereas Malaysia employs many Indonesians in fields such as plantations and construction.
“There’s still no agreement on how to protect Indonesian workers in these (other) areas in Malaysia. The legal framework is then absent,” she said.
Said senior fellow Julia Lau from Singapore-based think-tank ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute: “As Muslim-majority nation states on the ascendant on the world stage (as middle powers), both countries can reap benefits from cooperating rather than competing on cultural or ‘soft power’, and on strategic issues including helping Asean to maintain unity on tough challenges like resolving the Myanmar conflict.”