O

ur diplomats are often slammed as out-of-touch plutocrats whose jobs are merely to sport fancy suits, chuckle over lavish dinners and fake grins for photo ops. The current administration is keen on debunking such a stereotype, as the foreign minister uttered in her annual press statement that our diplomacy will be '€œdown to earth'€. Bringing such an aphorism to life requires a robust strategy and greater coordination not only within the government in Jakarta but also with its missions all across the planet.

To this end, the meeting between the Foreign Ministry'€™s high-ranking officials, the leaders of other ministries along with the heads of diplomatic and consular missions, which took place last week, was of profound significance.

There are four priority issues that the meeting focused on, which are sovereignty, economic diplomacy, protection of our citizens and legal entities abroad and the management of the ministry itself to better carry out people-centered diplomacy. The subject of the maritime fulcrum was also scrutinized as a cross-cutting issue.

Indonesia has made great strides in ensuring that its diplomacy serves the needs of the people. For instance, from January to September last year over 9,000 cases of Indonesian citizens and legal entities abroad were resolved.

Nonetheless, we can hardly pat ourselves on the back; there is a long and winding road ahead and international cooperation remains indispensable to overcome the challenges. Without diplomacy we cannot tear down barriers for our exports such as palm oil, fend off foreign vessels from pillaging our fish or salvage our ill-treated migrant workers. That is why the meeting was critical to chart the course of diplomacy to make a difference in our people'€™s everyday lives.

The meeting also offered a platform for top Indonesian diplomats to invigorate synergy with other actors inside the country. Although the Foreign Ministry acts as the coordinator of foreign policy, it does not have all the aces. For instance, on the protection of our migrant workers, the Manpower Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI) have critical roles to play.

The meeting was also important since it helped to translate the grand vision of people-centered diplomacy into more practical guidelines. For instance, on economy, the meeting deliberated on the plan to establish a new task force for economic diplomacy within the ministry and to encourage the creation of a new national promotion board on a national level in which the ministry would earnestly take part. The meeting will not only focus on where we will go but how to get there.

One thing for certain is that change will not occur overnight, but it will affirm the unwavering commitment from this country'€™s diplomats that for so many of our abused migrant workers out there, for small and medium enterprises determined to expand into other countries'€™ markets and for Indonesians living on the fringes of our borders, the state will do whatever it takes to be there for them.

Dimas Muhamad
Jakarta