Foreign Minister: Indonesian media playing up Ambalat issue
(The Star) – The Indonesian government has never officially protested against alleged encroachment by Malaysian enforcement agencies into the disputed Ambalat waters, and any allegations so far have only been made by the media there.
Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman said the Indonesian media has been known to play up issues, especially during elections in the country, and he believed the hype now was related to the presidential polls next month.
Even the name Ambalat was coined by the Indonesian media, a reference to the Ambalat oil and gas concession block within the disputed area, which Malaysian maritime agencies know as the Sulawesi Sea.
Malaysia had chosen to address the issue through diplomatic channels, Anifah said, and had issued 13 protest notes over encroachment by Indonesian maritime enforcement agencies since 2007, the latest in April this year.
The two countries had in fact been working to find an amicable solution through a joint technical committee, he told a press conference after handing out Excellence Service Awards to 99 of the ministry’s staff members here yesterday.
He said the technical committee had met 13 times so far, and Malaysia expected the 14th meeting, to be held here next month, to offer a step forward in finding a solution.
The Foreign Ministry, he said, had called on the ministries concerned to ask all Malaysian maritime enforcement agencies to stay out of the disputed waters for now.
Meanwhile during the ministry’s Media Night later, Bernama reported Anifah asking the media to work as a team with the government to reach out to the people.
He said he did not want the media to be a “yes man” but to be incisive, critical, argumentative and objective.
“In this way, the people can see the cards on the table, the issues, the problems and give their views and opinions to find solutions. The media will ultimately be our conduit, a channel for clear and open communication between the administration and the people.
“The media has a role in safeguarding the national interest so it does not become the tool of other countries’ interests. Hence, it should not be skewed to listening only to the foreign angle to a domestic issue,” he said.
Later Anifah was presented a mock cheque for RM115,053.10 by Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Bhd (Angkasa) for the Palestine Humanitarian Trust Fund.
Also present at the ceremony were his deputies Datuk Lee Chee Leong and Senator A. Kohilan Pillay.
