TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
BRICS' temptation and Indonesia's free and active foreign policy
BRICS could give Jokowi a golden chance to project himself as a global leader and the most prominent spokesman for the Third World.
Change Size
This time for Africa: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attends the BRICS-Africa Outreach and BRICS Plus Dialogue session, during the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Aug. 24, 2023. (Presidential Secretariat's Press Bureau/Laily Rachev)
W
hen I read the speech of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo from the closing session of the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg last week, the faces of late president Soeharto, the late Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad came to my mind, as the three often portrayed themselves as true defenders of, and voices for, the Third World.
Both Castro and Mahathir used to issue antagonistic and harsh statements, condemning Western countries, especially Group of Seven members, for their greedy, irresponsible and selfish behaviors. Due to their harsh statements, both Mahathir and Castro made global headlines.
In the meantime, Soeharto opted for a middle ground because he believed developing countries needed economic development – investment from rich countries to be specific.
During the BRICS summit, the group leaders, such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who addressed the summit digitally, lashed out at the West. With the inclusion of six new members, including Iran and Saudi Arabia, the hostility toward the West may rise, although there will also be fierce rivalries among the group members themselves.
"My presence here is not just as the leader of Indonesia but also as the co-leader of the Global South, which represents 85 percent of the global population who wants a win-win solution," said President Jokowi, when addressing the annual gathering of the informal organization.
The President firmly stated that the disparity must be resolved immediately and that BRICS member countries have an essential role in fighting for global development justice.
"We must reject trade discrimination. Industrial downstreaming must not be hindered. We must all continue to voice equal and inclusive cooperation," the President said.
