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Jokowi reminisces about speeding in Proton with Mahathir
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President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad salute their countries' national flags at Bogor Palace on June 29.
(Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)
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mid discussions about visions for the future at Bogor Palace on Friday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo shared a lighter moment with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, reminiscing about a time in 2015 in Kuala Lumpur when Jokowi was a passenger in a Proton car when Mahathir, who was 90 years old at the time, put his foot to the pedal and hit speeds of 180 kilometers per hour.
In a joint statement released during Mahathir’s visit, Jokowi said he was invited by Mahathir to test-drive a Proton when he visited Kuala Lumpur in 2015, before Mahathir was Malaysian premier. “Bapak Tun Mahathir drove me by himself at 180 kilometers per hour. It was very fast,” Jokowi told the press on Friday.
“But I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t worried because the driver was Bapak Tun Mahathir. If it wasn’t him, I think I’d be afraid,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience.
In his statement, Mahathir said he was worried during the test drive because not all parts of the test track were smooth. But President Jokowi did not make any complaints, Mahathir said.
At the time, Mahathir said he and Jokowi had discussed the possibility of developing a joint project between Malaysia and Indonesia to produce an ASEAN car, however the project failed to materialize for a number of reasons.
“But now we want to revive the project,” he added.
