Many problems involving relations between Malaysia and Indonesia can be resolved in the family spirit rather than through diplomatic channels, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
He said this followed the many similarities between the two countries which made the problems between them unique.
"We have been resolving problems with Indonesia through informal and personal approaches and not only via formal channels," he said.
He was speaking at a media conference after attending a Gathering with Malaysian citizens in Jakarta at the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia in Jakarta today.
"Informal relations can help resolve many problems which sometimes could not be settled formally. When the border issue cropped up such as in Ambalat previously, continuity (informal relations) had eased the tension," he said.
As such, he urged government officers at the Malaysian Embassy here and the government agencies to get closer to the Indonesian government officials,because this personal relation was better in resolving problems.
Ahmad Zahid said the informal ties must also be established by students, businessmen and representatives of the Malaysian corporate sector in the republic.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid called on Malaysian nationals abroad to obtain actual facts concerning the current situation in Malaysia and must decide based of the full facts.
"For Malaysians abroad, please don't rely on information obtained from the anti-establishment groups, get your facts from the mainstream for a balanced information.
"Now, about 87 per cent of the information is channelled by the social media... in fact the mainstream media has already used the social media. So, we must look at all angles in making our decision," he said.
Ahmad Zahid also reminded the group who frequently made criticisms to also be prepared to accept criticism.
"If we can criticise, we must also be prepared to accept criticism. Only then there is freedom of opinion. In this matter, they must be open.
"If they can demonstrate four times, don't get angy if others do it once. Don't say four times is not racist, once is racist," he said referring to the Bersih rally on Aug 29 and 30 and the 'Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu' on Sept 16, which were both held in the federal capital.
The deputy prime minister also reminded the group who frequently criticised the government to look at the developments cropping up in other countries, especially in the neighbouring countries.
- Bernama
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