Politics play a part in negative Malaysia-Indonesia sentiments: Anwar Ibrahim

  Neighborly visit: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers his general lecture session in Jakarta, on Sunday. Anwar presented his view on Malaysia's politics and democracy in reaching an equal friendship with Indonesia. Antara/Reno Esnir

Political games are behind several issues that have fueled rising tensions between Malaysia and Indonesia, former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

“The game is being played by elitist rulers in Malaysia,” Anwar said during a general lecture session at Soegeng Sarjadi School of Government in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

Anwar, who is an opposition icon in Malaysia, believed that the Malaysian elite lacked the will to foster the harmony needed to erase the negative sentiment between the two countries.

“I’m very concerned that the poor judgment will be passed on to the public,” he added.

Anwar blamed the dependent Malaysian press for not contributing to building better relations with Indonesia. “The Malaysian media mostly covers the negative aspects of Indonesia, and this has become a stigma within the workforce,” Anwar said.