Yudono Yanuar (Free Malaysia Today), Jakarta – Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir Mohamad praised Indonesia's political stability that it could beat the neighboring country in attracting foreign investors. He also lauded Indonesian President Jokowi for successfully leading the country since winning the 2014 election.
"Holding [Indonesia] together is very difficult for a country of that size," said Mahathir in an interview with Nikkei Asia as quoted from FMT on December 13, 2022.
He opined that governing Indonesia was not an easy task given its more than 17,000 islands and 270 million people, which makes it the world's fourth most populous nation.
According to Mahathir, Malaysia faced difficulties in attracting foreign investors because of its political instability. He noted that the country went five days without a prime minister after a general election on November 19, 2022, producing no clear winning party or coalition until Anwar Ibrahim was finally tapped by the King to become PM.
Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister then compared Malaysia's political shake-ups to what Jokowi has achieved since first being elected in 2014. He acknowledged Indonesia's political stability, as well as Widodo's strong and efficient leadership, which allowed the country to overtake Malaysia in attracting foreign investors and "many projects". However, he stopped short of detailing the number.
Mahathir also described the Indonesian President as "much stronger" than recent leaders, "When a country has a good, steady, and stable government, foreign investments will come in. [And] that contributes to the growth of the economy."
President Jokowi, Mahathir went on, has done a "better job" than some of Indonesia's other presidents. He also claimed that they both are similar in their love for the country and focus to develop it. "We both want to do our best for our countries," he said.