REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) proceeds with his scheduled plan to visit Malaysia. Yet, he promised to raise the issue of the insulting article written by former Malaysia's Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin.
"Frankly speaking, it bothers me and I regret the article," SBY said after watching the premiere of 'Habibie dan Ainun' movie on Monday, referred to the article that insulted the third Indonesian president, BJ Habibie.
SBY emphasized that the insult could ruin the relationship of Indonesia and Malaysia as he believed that such article could interfere relationship between two countries. He said that government had taken some diplomatic measures over the article. Malaysian government has also asked Maidin to apologize to Habibie.
President believes that Maidin's article did not reflect Malaysian government. "But, it stains our good relationship," SBY added.
President SBY is scheduled to visit Malaysia on Tuesday to attend the 9th Malaysia-Indonesia Annual Consultation. "I will raise the issue to Malaysia," SBY said.
Maidin wrote an article entitled 'Perwatakan Sama, Tugas Sama dan Nasib pun Sama' (Same Behavior, Same Task and Same Destiny) in his private blog earlier this month. His article was changed into 'Persamaan BJ Habibie dengan Anwar Ibrahim' (The Similarities between BJ Habibie and Anwar Ibrahim) and later published in Utusan Malaysia and The Malaysia Insider.
In the article Maidin criticized Habibie, saying that Habibie would not have fallen from presidency if he had have done the right thing. Maidin also accused Habibie as an accomplice of US. Habibie, he wrote, helped Anwar Ibrahim to topple the former Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.