Malaysia PM Anwar defends maritime border agreements with Indonesia

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Tuesday (Jun 13) that the two treaties signed with Indonesia which demarcated parts of the two countries’ maritime borders were in accordance with rules and were only signed after consultations were made with a number of government agencies. 

“On Jun 8, (Indonesian President Joko Widodo and I) made an agreement based on (the principles that) our interests are border points that we do not dispute as well as the international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982,” said Mr Anwar during the Prime Minister's Question and Answer Session (PMQ) in parliament. 

He stressed that the agreements were signed only after consultations with the Maritime Affairs Department of the Foreign Ministry, the National Security Council, the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), the Department of Survey and Mapping and the National Hydrographic Centre. 

The two agreements are the “Treaty Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two Countries in the Southernmost Part of the Melaka Straits” and the “Treaty between Malaysia and Indonesia Relating to the Delimitation of the Territorial Seas of the Two Countries in the Sulawesi Sea”.

“So after they examined (the maritime boundaries and had) a final meeting with me - (and once) we were satisfied - then we signed (the treaties),” said Mr Anwar. 

“The technical, legal and economic aspects have been agreed upon and (examined by Malaysia and Indonesia).” 

Mr Anwar stressed that the treaties signed do not involve territories which are still under dispute.

“The treaty does not include areas which are still under dispute, for example, Pulau Sebatik near Sabah and the limits near the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in Johor,” he said.

Mr Anwar was responding to Kota Bharu Member of Parliament (MP) Takiyuddin Hassan who asked whether the newly signed treaties with Indonesia would harm Malaysia and affect its sovereign rights, particularly the negative impact on maritime economic activities in the long run. 

Subsequently, Pagoh MP Muhyiddin Yassin asked Mr Anwar for his guarantee that Malaysia will not compromise in future negotiations with Indonesia over territories which Malaysia has a claim over. 

To this, the prime minister assured that Malaysia’s position is that the interests of its national sovereignty will not be sacrificed. 

“Our ultimate position is that we cannot sacrifice even an inch of our country's land,” Mr Anwar told parliament. 

Earlier on Saturday, Muhyiddin - who is also Perikatan Nasional chairman - questioned whether the agreements signed with Indonesia would mean Malaysia was compromising on matters relating to national sovereignty and international borders.

Speaking during the coalition’s rally in Negeri Sembilan ahead of the state polls, Muhyiddin said he felt “uneasy” when he learnt of the agreement.

“When I was prime minister (of Malaysia), this was among the (bilateral) issues that we could not resolve. We discussed and discussed but could never reach a resolution. It involves sensitive matters relating to the borders of Johor and Sabah,” he added.

Muhyiddin said that during his tenure as Malaysia's prime minister, he was then advised by maritime experts not to sign off on the agreement.

On Thursday, Indonesia and Malaysia signed bilateral instruments relating to border crossings, trade, cooperation in investment promotions, mutual recognition of halal certification for domestic products, as well as the two agreements related to the delimitation of territorial seas. 

The announcements were made during Mr Widodo’s two-day visit to Malaysia.

The territorial seas treaties involved the Sulawesi Sea and the southernmost part of the Straits of Melaka. Mr Widodo later expressed appreciation for the agreement, saying it had “taken 18 years to be solved”.

In a joint statement after their meeting, the leaders said the signing of the treaties will provide a strong foundation for future maritime boundary negotiations. They pledged to resolve other land boundary issues by June 2024.