JAKARTA — Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kicked off his visit to Indonesia on Thursday (June 28), with Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo receiving the Malaysian leader at the airport in what has been described as a "rare honour".

Upon arrival at the Halim Perdanakusuma International airport in Jakarta on Thursday evening, Dr Mahathir and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali were greeted by Mr Widodo and his spouse, Iriana Joko Widodo, on the tarmac.

Clad in a dark lounge suit, Dr Mahathir shook hands with Mr Widodo and his wife upon disembarking from his plane. Ms Iriana greeted Ms Siti Hasmah, who was wearing a light green baju kurung, a Malay traditional attire, with a hug.

Several Indonesian ministers, including Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, were also present to receive the Malaysian leader, who chatted with Mr Widodo as they walked along a red carpet from the tarmac to the arrival hall. 

Malaysia’s deputy chief of mission to Jakarta Zamshari Shaharan said that Mr Widodo's personal welcome of Dr Mahathir at the airport was "a rare honour for the head of state to do so".

“This is a strong indication of how much importance the Indonesians place on this visit,” Mr Zamshari told Malaysian reporters covering Dr Mahathir’s visit to Indonesia.

The senior diplomat added that Jakarta sees Dr Mahathir as a senior figure in the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean), and his visit will enable the two countries to discuss bilateral issues.

“Indonesia and Malaysia are the bedrock of Asean and they see Dr Mahathir as a senior figure who can help re-energise the Asean agenda," he added.

Following Dr Mahathir's arrival, he attended a dinner with over 300 Malaysians living in Jakarta. 

Malaysia recently announced that its debt and liabilities exceeded 1 trillion ringgit (S$336.51 billion), a figure that fuelled market worries and raised the prospect of a credit-rating downgrade.

"We do not have enough money to support them. If Malaysians do not work hard, the government will not have enough money as we are dependent on taxes to run the country," Dr Mahathir said.

He urged for patience, noting that the recovery of the country's finances take time.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia will continue to be open to both local and foreign investors, noting that some processes will be simplified.

However, he did not elaborate further on the matter.

On Friday, Dr Mahathir will call on Mr Widodo at the latter’s official residence at Istana Bogor.

Dr Mahathir, like other visiting leaders, will be given the honour of planting a tree to mark his visit.

Mr Zamshari said Dr Mahathir and Mr Joko will jointly plant an Angsana (rosewood) tree on the palace grounds.

Dr Mahathir is also expected to meet Indonesian businessmen from the Indonesian-Malaysian Business Council.

This is Dr Mahathir’s first bilateral visit to a South-east Asian country after assuming the role of prime minister for the second time on May 10, 2018.

Indonesia is Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner globally and third largest in Asean, after Singapore and Thailand. In 2017, total bilateral trade between the two nations reached US$16.89 billion (S$23.14 billion), an increase of 22 per cent from 2016. AGENCIES