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Jokowi, ASEAN’s first chief negotiator on Myanmar
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President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo (second left) and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (right) walk as they attend the ASEAN leaders' summit at the bloc's secretariat building in Jakarta on April 24, 2021. (Handout/Muchlis Jr/Indonesian Presidential Palace via REUTERS)
I
t took President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo almost seven years since he came to power in October 2014 to get directly involved in a major diplomatic endeavor as the leader of Indonesia, the largest member country and the de-facto leader of ASEAN.
Unlike his predecessors, Jokowi never addressed the annual United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States; he only joined the event last year, which was held online. Jokowi attended the summits of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN-hosted East Asia Forum and the Group of 20, but never tried to steal the show. Next year, he will host the G20 summit.
Foreign Ministry officials have acknowledged the President’s tendency to prioritize the short- and medium-term economic impacts of any diplomatic measure. He shows no interest in complicated negotiations and fully entrusts the matter of international affairs with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi.
That is why many were surprised by Jokowi’s initiative to invite Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlain to attend the ASEAN Special Summit in Jakarta on Saturday. Jokowi has received the strong support of Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The temporary National Unity Government of Myanmar, claiming to represent Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, and many civil society organizations condemned ASEAN’s plan to invite Myanmar’s coup leader. They suspected that Indonesia only welcomed the general because the world’s largest Muslim nation was eager to end the atrocities committed against minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The result of Saturday’s summit turned out to exceed international expectations. The junta leader accepted the demand of six ASEAN leaders and three foreign ministers for an immediate end to the military violence against the people of Myanmar, the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy to meet with all concerned parties in Myanmar and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.
ASEAN needs to immediately appoint the special envoy, who will bear the strong mandate to dialog with the junta and Suu Kyi. Indonesia must be given the priority to select the candidate. The question is whether the candidate will be from the Indonesian Military (TNI) or a civilian.
