According to observers, President Prabowo Subianto's nationalistic view that resource-rich Indonesia should be self-sufficient, respected and well-networked has been driving his diplomatic efforts in the first 100 days of his presidency.
hrough 10 state visits he embarked upon during the first 100 days of his presidency, President Prabowo Subianto appears to send a clear message to the world.
As viewed by analysts, the former Army general was telling the world that he was a foreign policy president with a strong nationalist foundation. He also shows himself as comfortable with taking on the spotlight on the global stage, boosting Indonesia’s global standing and going where his immediate predecessor would not.
“There was a promise of continuity on the [domestic] political front, but it’s clear that Prabowo is no Jokowi on the international stage,” said international relations expert Dafri Agussalim at Gadjah Mada University.
“He’s very comfortable on the global stage; many of his moves are seemingly intuitive in nature.”
In the past three months, Prabowo, who won last year’s presidential election on a populist platform to spur the national economy and eradicate hunger, kept his schedule busy with high-level visits around the globe. The President regularly flew abroad to reaffirm Jakarta’s foreign cooperation and promote its economic interests.
The list of countries he visited since his inauguration in October includes China, the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India.
But the long list extended beyond those countries, as the former general’s global campaign already started months before being sworn in as Indonesia’s president.
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