Jokowi hosted Muhyiddin, the third Malaysian leader he has worked with since assuming office in 2014, during the latter’s maiden visit to Jakarta on Friday.

The occasion was Muhyiddin’s first official visit abroad since becoming prime minister last year, shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak led to worldwide travel restrictions.

The visit was conducted under very strict health protocols and with a small entourage, with preparations led by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and her Malaysian counterpart Hishammuddin Hussein.

In addition to speaking on a wide range of bilateral issues, Jokowi said he and the Malaysian PM talked in detail about their concerns on the developments in Myanmar.

As two major democracies in Southeast Asia, the President said Indonesia and Malaysia were concerned about the political repercussions from the coup on the country’s civilian government, which the junta overthrew based on unfounded allegations of election fraud.

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League of Democracy won an election in November last year by a landslide victory.

“We hope that political differences can be resolved in accordance with the applicable laws,” Jokowi said in a joint statement with Muhyiddin at the Presidential Palace.

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In order to realize the vision of an ASEAN Community, the President said it was important for Myanmar to respect the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, especially rule of law, good governance, democracy, human rights and constitutional government.

“As members of a family, we asked our two foreign ministers to speak with the ASEAN chair to explore [the possibility] of holding a special meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers regarding the developments in Myanmar,” Jokowi said in the joint statement.

This year’s ASEAN chair is Brunei Darussalam, which drew praise for its quick response in issuing a chairman’s statement calling for “the pursuance of dialogue, reconciliation and the return to normalcy in accordance with the will and interests of the people of Myanmar”.

Muhyiddin said Retno and Hishammuddin should work together and have more in-depth discussions with their counterparts from the region at a special ASEAN meeting.

“Like Indonesia, Malaysia also takes seriously the current political situation in Myanmar, which is a step backward in the country's democratic process. It is feared that political unrest in Myanmar could affect peace and stability in the region,” he said.

On Thursday, members of the United Nations Security Council also called for the immediate release of government officials who were detained by the military, reiterating its "strong support for regional organizations, in particular ASEAN".

Meanwhile, in his first foreign policy address, United States President Joe Biden also raised concerns about the situation in Myanmar and pledged to "work with our partners to support restoration of democracy and the rule of law and impose consequences on those responsible".

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According to a US government statement, Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, had spoken with ambassadors of ASEAN members in Washington on Wednesday, during which he conveyed Biden’s deep concern regarding the coup. Sullivan "expressed appreciation for ASEAN nations’ attention to this crisis, noting the importance of regional support for the immediate restoration of Burmese democracy”.

However, as a group consisting of governments espousing the full spectrum of political systems from authoritarian to democratic, ASEAN’s decision-making process rarely inspires confidence, owing to its consensus-based approach. Critics fear ASEAN will not be able to easily respond to this crisis.

“ASEAN has always struggled to respond to such a crisis because of the noninterference principle, and we all know that the organization will be split because of this issue," Priyambudi Sulistiyanto, senior lecturer at Flinders University said during a recent discussion this week.

The organization’s human rights body, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, had not managed to get all of its members to sign a joint statement calling on all parties to “resolve any disputes through lawful mechanisms and peaceful dialogue”.

Only representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand signed the statement.

In addition to discussing the developments in Myanmar, Jokowi and Muhyiddin also raised the issue of protecting Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, coordinated efforts against palm oil restrictions, a bilateral travel corridor arrangement and developments in the South China Sea.

The two countries also discussed cooperation to tackle transboundary haze, common guidelines for fishermen in disputed maritime areas and plans to upgrade the relationship status to strategic-level engagement.