Malaysia's Mahathir revives possibility of joint car project with 'closest neighbour' Indonesia
30 June, 2018
JAKARTA: Malaysia Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Friday (Jun 29) that Indonesia and Malaysia could revive plans to jointly develop a car to be sold in Southeast Asia.
Dr Mahathir is on a two-day official visit to Indonesia, his second overseas trip since taking office again seven weeks ago, and his first to a southeast Asian country.
He described Indonesia as Malaysia's “closest neighbour" and noted the "family relationship" between the two countries.
"In fact, a lot of Malaysians originally are from Indonesia, including my father in law," Dr Mahathir said at a joint press conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bogor.
Kunjungan pertama Bapak Mahathir Mohamad ke luar Malaysia sejak menjadi perdana menteri baru adalah ke Indonesia. Alasannya, Indonesia ini jiran terdekat dan memiliki hubungan kekeluargaan. “Ramai penduduk Malaysia itu dari Indonesia, termasuk bapak mertua saya,” katanya.
At the media conference, Dr Mahathir also raised the possibility of reviving a proposed project for a Malaysia-Indonesia car for the ASEAN market.
"Back in 2015, we'd discussed to jointly produce a car made by Indonesia and Malaysia for Southeast Asian nations, but it had not been followed up. Now we are looking at reviving the project," said Dr Mahathir, who is in Indonesia on a two-day official visit.
He added that the idea was brought up when he test-drove a Proton car in Malaysia in February 2015, with visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo sitting beside him.
“I was no longer the prime minister then,” said Dr Mahathir.
“I drove the car at a speed of 180km per hour on the Sepang race circuit. The President (Joko Widodo) did not complain at all (when the car was driven at that speed)."
Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. He became prime minister for the second time on May 10, 2018.
President Jokowi said he remembered the test-drive, adding that he had no cause for worry because the person behind the wheel was Dr Mahathir.
“I was not afraid because the driver was Mahathir,” he said.
Apart from the possibility of a joint car project, both leaders agreed to cooperate in several areas.
"I have talked with him (Mahathir) and the delegations, the point is that we have similar commitments to increase our cooperation in good governance, to eradicate corruption, connectivity and border issues that we will discuss in ministries forum level," said Mr Jokowi.
Dr Mahathir also brought up the need for Malaysia and Indonesia to jointly counter the anti-palm oil campaign in Europe.
“Palm oil exports to Europe are under threat and we should work together to counter the argument that oil palm cultivation led to deforestation and a major impact on the climate and environment,” he said.
The European Union (EU) seeks to phase out palm oil from transport fuel. However, earlier this month, EU lawmakers agreed to defer the ban to 2030 from 2021.
Dr Mahathir said Europe's opposition is viewed as more economics-related rather than due to the alleged environmental impact of oil palm cultivation.
"European countries used to be covered with forests but they've cut them down and nobody argues with them about it. But when we clear land they say it pollutes the climate," he said.
Meanwhile, President Jokowi asked Malaysia to consider Indonesia's request to develop schools for the children of Indonesian workers in Malaysia.
He also touched on the need for close cooperation between the two neighbours to resolve border issues.