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Prabowo extends Asia tour with Malaysia stopover
The president-elect has been making high-profile visits to China, Japan and Malaysia with plans for the next government, even though analysts regard it as a premature endeavor that disregards the election process.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim talks with president-elect Prabowo Subianto in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 4, 2024. (The Jakarta Post/The Star)
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efense Minister Prabowo Subianto landed in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, bringing to a close a trip that analysts described as an effort to project international legitimacy amid ongoing challenges to his election victory.
The president-elect has been traveling overseas since Sunday, making high-profile visits to China and Japan with pledges to maintain close diplomatic ties once he assumes control of the government later this year, although experts are hesitant to describe the trip as a victory lap.
Two weeks after the General Elections Commission (KPU) confirmed his landslide victory in the Feb. 14 presidential race, the minister paid back-to-back courtesy calls with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as Malaysia’s Anwar.
The Defense Ministry has insisted that these high-profile talks were part of a broader working visit to meet his foreign defense counterparts, but Prabowo’s talks with the Asian leaders extended beyond security issues to include future economic and industrial cooperation.
In Malaysia, Prabowo conveyed to Anwar his commitment to enhancing bilateral ties between Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as other ASEAN countries. Anwar drew parallels between his and Prabowo’s political journey, marked by “various challenges before being appointed”.
“Today I received a courtesy call from the president-elect doubling as defense minister, Prabowo Subianto,” Anwar posted on his official X account. “I have expressed my congratulatory messages and best wishes for Prabowo, who will be inaugurated as Indonesia’s eighth president.”
Read also: Prabowo pledges continuity in talks with Xi
