TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Incomplete envoy testing may hint at Prabowo’s foreign policy strategy
Among the 13 envoy candidates skipped by the House of Representatives were ambassador nominees to the US, China, Russia, Malaysia, Germany and the United Nations – arguably some of the country’s most prestigious diplomatic posts.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto (second left) talks with Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi (second right) on Sept. 13, 2024, ahead of the final cabinet meeting at the Garuda Palace in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN), North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan. (Antara/M Risyal Hidayat)
T
he House of Representatives’ decision to suspend fit and proper testing for 13 ambassador candidates previously nominated for Indonesia’s most important diplomatic posts abroad may be an indication that the incoming government is not yet ready to show their foreign policy hands, analysts have suggested while warning that further delays may cost Jakarta’s chances with some of its key partners.
The continued leadership vacuum at the embassy in Washington, DC is of particular concern, they pointed out further.
Last week, House Commission I overseeing foreign affairs and defense tested the competency of 33 ambassador candidates named by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in late August. However, the results of the test have yet to be disclosed.
The commission’s members confirmed last Wednesday that they had completed all the scheduled fit and proper testing, but the outgoing president’s nomination letter, circulated weeks prior, included 46 names.
Among the 13 envoy candidates skipped by the House were ambassador nominees to the United States, China, Russia, Malaysia, Germany and the United Nations – or arguably the country’s most prestigious diplomatic posts.
Read also: Prabowo may inspire Indonesia's bold diplomacy
A candidate who was initially selected for one of these 13 posts told The Jakarta Post that they received no notification from the House regarding their suspended fit and proper testing, adding that they were also unaware of the reasons behind the suspension despite having been mentioned in the president’s letter.
