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Retno retains her seat, vows to remain focused on economic diplomacy
With her reappointment as foreign minister for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s second term, Retno Marsudi has pledged to expand Indonesia’s economic diplomacy in accordance with Jokowi’s pledge to boost exports and investments.
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The Indonesia Onward Cabinet after it was revealed on Wednesday. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
R
etno Marsudi has been reappointed as Indonesia's top diplomat, with a doubling down of economic diplomacy her main goal for the next five years.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Wednesday inaugurated the 38 members of his new Cabinet, including Retno, who led Indonesia in securing seats on the United Nations Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council while she was serving during Jokowi's first term.
“In the last five years, we tried our best in four priorities: protecting the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and its interests, protecting Indonesian citizens, economic diplomacy and also our contribution to the region and the international stage,” Retno said in an interview with Kompas TV at the Presidential Palace complex after the Cabinet inauguration.
For the next five years, she said she would keep the same priorities while expanding and strengthening Indonesia’s economic diplomacy, in accordance with Jokowi’s pledges to boost trade and investment to spur growth.
Plans to give the Foreign Ministry more of a mandate in economic diplomacy by putting the Trade Ministry’s international trade functions under it and to merge the Trade Ministry with the Industry Ministry to focus on domestic trade appeared to have been largely abandoned by Jokowi on Wednesday.
Jokowi is maintaining the Trade Ministry, giving its ministerial position to National Awakening Party (PKB) politician Agus Suparmanto. “Exports, imports, trade, current account -- these fall under your jurisdiction,” Jokowi said while introducing all members of the Cabinet to the public.
The restructuring idea was floated by Jokowi in August as part of a wider effort to boost exports and narrow current account deficits. However, analysts have criticized it, saying that the real problem with Indonesia’s economic diplomacy was rooted in domestic issues, such as the ease of doing business. Observers have also suggested that such structural changes had to be done prudently.
