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Jokowi to attend ASEAN Summit, may skip G-20 meet
The chair of ASEAN this year, Myanmar, stated on Tuesday that it would release thousands of prisoners around a month before it hosts the ASEAN Summit, which is expected to be attended by world leaders including Indonesia president-elect Joko âJokowiâ Widodo and US President Barack Obama
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he chair of ASEAN this year, Myanmar, stated on Tuesday that it would release thousands of prisoners around a month before it hosts the ASEAN Summit, which is expected to be attended by world leaders including Indonesia president-elect Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and US President Barack Obama.
Myanmar President Thein Sein pardoned 3,073 prisoners for the sake of 'peace and stability' and 'the rule of law', the government said on its Information Ministry website as reported by Reuters.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), an NGO, said the amnesty did not include political prisoners.
'I heard there were six or seven former senior military intelligence officials, but they are not considered political prisoners,' said Bo Kyi of the AAPP.
Meanwhile, Jokowi, set to be inaugurated on Oct. 20, has expressed a readiness to attend the ASEAN Summit in Myanmar and other international events, as the first weeks of his presidential calendar fill up quickly.
However, as all of the summits will be held shortly after his inauguration, Jokowi and his team will have little time to prepare.
Other high-level international events that Indonesia is involved in during the next few months include the 22nd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing on Nov. 10-11 and the G-20 Leaders' Summit in Brisbane, Australia on Nov. 15-16.
The outgoing Jakarta governor and former Surakarta mayor will be setting foot on the international stage at a time when his crucial domestic agenda, which includes finalizing his Cabinet, will still be on the table.
A source closely monitoring Jokowi's preparations for president revealed he still wanted to prioritize the domestic agenda and may be unable to attend all international events like the G-20.
'Jokowi is a bit reluctant to go to Brisbane but he also knows very well how important the summit is and also our relationship with Australia,' the source told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
His transition team has been in close contact with the Foreign Ministry to help Jokowi get to grips with the issues to be discussed in the diplomatic agenda and set his priorities.
'Such important international events require extensive preparation to succeed, but Jokowi will only have 10 days in office before attending the summits,' the team's head Rini Soemarno said recently.
'Therefore, our close communication with the Foreign Ministry is playing a crucial role to help Jokowi prepare.'
Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, himself touted as a possible foreign minister in Jokowi's Cabinet, said he had instructed the ministry to assist.
'We've informed Jokowi via the transition team, not only about the details of the events' programs, but also about the priorities Indonesia has chosen to promote at such events,' Marty said.
'We understand if Jokowi chooses to set his own priorities. The ministry is ready to help share the information required to set the priorities.'
One of the team's deputies, Hasto Kristiyanto, said diplomacy under Jokowi would differ from that under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's 10-year tenure, especially given Jokowi's focus on strengthening Indonesia's position as the world's major 'maritime axis'.
