Jakarta (ANTARA) - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has praised the leadership of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), which he has described to be on the right track.

Mahathir lauded President Jokowi's leadership while giving a public lecture at the National Working Meeting of NasDem Party at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta on Friday.

He said, from his observations, as well as what he has heard, Indonesia, under the leadership of President Jokowi, is running on a reasonable basis.

The success of Jokowi’s leadership certainly cannot be separated from the NasDem Party and Surya Paloh as the leader of the party, he added.

Malaysia is also proud when Indonesia achieves success and its people prosper because the victories will be felt and enjoyed by all the people of Indonesia, he added.

Speaking at the event, he also shared his thoughts on what makes a good leader. He said that a leader must have national leadership.

To achieve this, the leader must understand the thoughts of his people. After that, he must empathize with the plight of the people and be willing to fight for their future.

Related news: Former Malaysian PM visits NasDem Party office

The decisions and the basis introduced must include the majority of the people, without prioritizing the interests of one group, he said.

He emphasized that national leadership requires courage in making decisions and taking actions that must be carried out for the benefit of the community.

Many leaders, he said, do not have the courage and seek the easy way. As a result, people become complacent, and unknowingly, the state also gets damaged. "At that time, the people will pay a very high price," he said.

He emphasized that a leader who has the trust of the people must be trustworthy. Therefore, leaders need to continue to seek and increase their knowledge.

Progress can be achieved if the leader has ideas and regular plans for the development of the country. These plans need a long-term and short-term approach, Mahathir remarked.

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Translator: Syaiful H, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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