In response to the new challenges, Indonesia should not be under the illusion it should offer a silver bullet. Consistency and credible strategies will be better than megaphone diplomacy. Certainly, it is not only about expressing sentiments, hopes or concerns, as highlighted by a speaker at a recent Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) dialogue on Indonesia’s foreign policy. Indonesia’s Group of 20 presidency is a huge responsibility that reflects our foreign policy activism, despite challenges.

Let me provide some arguments to those who perceive we are less active.

First, foreign policy is no longer about poetic and flowery speeches, but concrete results benefiting people and world peace. Paradigm has been shifted from “speaking in the echo chambers” to concrete actions.

One example is, there is no other foreign ministry that is as busy and proactive as Indonesia’s. Amid lockdowns almost everywhere, Indonesia safely repatriated hundreds of thousands of Indonesian nationals from many countries and ensured the supplies of essential medical equipment. Also, Indonesia was among the first countries to start a vaccine rollout to fight the coronavirus.

Second, former foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda has the point of insisting on the need to improve the foreign policy doctrine for better implementations. A recalibration has been in the making and it is represented in Indonesia’s continuous proactive roles in ASEAN, despite challenges.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s resolve to adopt and implement a five-point consensus on Myanmar is obvious proof of this. The President’s move to inspect Indonesia’s outermost waters amid the spat in the North Natuna Sea was not symbolic, but a show of determination when territorial integrity is challenged. The decision was in line with the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.