Indonesian president to visit Kuching next month

KUCHING: Indonesian President Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, will be making his first official visit here next month on invitation from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He is scheduled to be here from November 21 to 22, to meet the Prime Minister for the annual bilateral consultation meeting between both countries and also to attend the World Islamic Economic Forum at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching ( BCCK).

Indonesian consul general in Kuching, Jahar Gultom who confirmed this yesterday, also said the consulate is arranging for the president to have a dialogue session with 5,000 members of Indonesian community working and living in Sarawak, at one of the stadiums in the city.

“Our president will be here for these back-to- back events,” he told a press conference here after chairing a meeting to finalise preparations for the Festival Danau Sentarum-Betung Kerihun here.

Jahar believed the bilateral consultation meeting between Joko and Najib will deliberate on issues concerning crossborder trade and movement especially between Sarawak and Indonesian province of West Kalimantan.

He explained there are three Indonesian border points in West Kalimantan for Malaysians to enter by land namely Aruk which is across Biawak, Lundu, Entikong (across Tebedu) and Badau (across Lubok Antu).

However, the main complication faced by many land travellers is that cross- border road tax can only be acquired in Entikong.

“This complicates matters, and discourages regular crossborder movement because such service is not available in Aruk and Badau yet. Those who want to enter through Aruk and Badau, have to go all the way to Tebedu to do it.

“Hopefully, this issue will be discussed and deliberated further at the annual consultation since it concerned amongst others the assigning of more personnel and installation of equipment.

“Sarawak alone cannot resolve this issue, there should be consensus between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur, and not between Kuching and Pontianak only,” he said.

He pointed out that Joko, when launching the upgraded complexes at the three border points, had expressed his wish to promote border trade from these three gates.

“I think from Malaysian side, it is the same thing (that you want),” he said.