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Without envoys lighting the way, Indonesia-US ties risk being stuck in murky waters
During the Trump administration, Jokowi never visited the White House and Trump never visited Indonesia, an indication that not much was going on between the two countries at the leadership level.
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Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi gestures during a press conference in Jakarta on Jan. 11, 2021. Lutfi was Indonesia's ambassador to the United States based in Washington, DC until December 2020, when he was called up as part of a Cabinet shake-up. (Courtesy of the Trade Ministry/-)
W
hen a country recalls its ambassador from a foreign post, it is usually to express displeasure or protest with the host country. But in the case of Indonesia and the United States, the situation is not always so straightforward.
Earlier this week, the US Embassy in Jakarta confirmed that Ambassador Sung Kim, who had just presented his credentials to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in October, was heading back to Washington.
He had been called upon to serve as acting US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs under the new US administration under Joe Biden.
“During his absence from Indonesia, deputy chief of mission Heather Variava will serve as the chargé d’affaires,” a spokesperson for the embassy said on Monday.
There was no mention of when a new envoy would be installed.
Similarly, erstwhile Indonesian ambassador in Washington Muhammad Lutfi was called up in December to become trade minister, just a little over three months after he submitted his credentials to then-US president Donald Trump.
Both Kim and Lutfi are technically still ambassadors, although it remains unclear for how long they will serve dual roles.
