Moazzam Malik (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

Appointed the United Kingdom’s caretaker for its bilateral relationship with Indonesia for the past four years, British Ambassador Moazzam Malik has seen the mission in Jakarta grow by almost 50 percent amid a push for greater engagement. The popular envoy, who will officially end his term on Friday, has argued how this perceived growth is proof of “deepening” UK-Indonesian ties. The Jakarta Post’s Agnes Anya recently sat down with the fluent Indonesian speaker about his hopes for the bilateral relationship. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

Question: After four years of working on improving the solid UK-Indonesia relationship, what is there left to improve?

Answer: There is still a lot that we can do together. Back in the UK, the awareness of Indonesia is still quite limited, although more and more Brits are coming here for holiday, business, study and/or joint research. That is work not just for me but also Indonesia. Indonesia needs to be telling the world and the UK more about itself. So my hope is that we can raise awareness of Indonesia in the UK, [as there is] a very strong awareness of the UK in Indonesia.

My aspirations for Indonesia as I leave: I hope to see Indonesia succeed over the years to come in five big areas.

I hope that Indonesia can promote democratic values, including the rights of minorities. If Indonesia is successful as a democratic country, where the world’s largest Muslim population is, that is good not only for Indonesians but actually for all democratic countries and Muslim communities around the world. Indonesia can be an example that we can all look to learn from and to emulate.

Second, in terms of economic reform, Indonesia has great potential, but to achieve that it needs to be open. Often countries overestimate their market power and sometimes Indonesia is at risk of doing that. Indonesia’s route to economic success lies in openness because through openness, Indonesia will be able to compete in the 21st century, not only in the ASEAN region but at a global level. Through openness, you can also accelerate your journey right by getting the world’s most talented workers to come and collaborate with Indonesian workers.

Third, I think what is important for me is education because, at the end of the day, any country’s long-run competitiveness depends critically on the quality of its human resources. In education, there is a lot that we can do to support Indonesia’s journey. We have some of the best universities in the world. They are interested and eager to collaborate internationally.

The fourth thing is climate change. Indonesia is the 16th-largest economy and the fifth-largest [carbon] emitter as Indonesia enters the top 10 economies in the world. If Indonesia fails to deliver its commitments under the Paris Agreement [on climate change], not only will Indonesia fail, the world will fail. It is one of a handful of countries that is globally significant [in this regard].

The fifth area that I hope to see Indonesia continue to succeed in and develop more broadly over the next few years is international collaboration. There are some countries that are looking to shape our collective future through the use of power. It is not possible for Indonesia to succeed in a world where power rules. It is not possible for the UK, even as the fifth-largest economy with one of the world’s most sophisticated militaries, to succeed in the world on the basis of power projection. So for our future, we actually need international institutions.

Do you think Indonesia is not open enough?

While there has been real progress, I do think that Indonesia is not open enough. I don’t think Indonesia is active enough internationally. Greater openness is important for Indonesia because it can help accelerate your journey. But, actually, it is important for the world because you are the world’s fourth-largest country, the third-largest democracy and [home to] the world’s largest Muslim population. To have a successful, peaceful, prosperous world, we need Indonesia at the table.

Over these last four or five years Indonesia has become a little bit less shy, but I would urge you to be even less shy; be confident — open your industry and open your market. I want to see Indonesian companies going global; buying factories in the UK and becoming global players. You have the talent in this country. You need to nurture it, but you need to take down the barriers so that the world can come and see you and engage with you.

If you had to describe Indonesia in three words, what would they be?

Ramah (friendly); indah (beautiful); beragam (diverse). Can I have a fourth? Menginspirasi (inspiring).

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