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Prabowo needs to shake the Foreign Ministry out of its comfort zone
Prabowo should widen his net to external institutions in the search for a figure that can revamp the Foreign Ministry of his administration so it not only reflects but also embraces Indonesia's current reality as a middle power.
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Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi speaks about the condition in Gaza while addressing a United Nations General Assembly session on Nov. 28, 2023 at the UN Headequarters in New York. (Antara/Foreign Ministry)
A
t the risk of angering friends in the Foreign Ministry, may I venture to suggest that president-elect Prabowo Subianto consider a noncareer diplomat to head the institution when he forms his government come October?
It is not so much about the next appointee’s background as the specific task Prabowo should give to his foreign minister: Shake the ministry out of its comfort zone to come up with policies that reflect the current geopolitical reality.
An outsider seems better equipped to do this, although we shouldn’t completely rule out an internal candidate.
Indonesia’s foreign policy is due for a major reset, and there is no better time to do this than during the coming change in government. Many policies and doctrines may have become outdated as a result of not only the evolving geopolitical landscape, but also by Indonesia’s rise as a middle power on the international stage in the last 20 years.
Our foreign policy fails to reflect these internal and external changes. This may mean breaking with tradition and upsetting institutional insiders, and is why an outsider with a different perspective can probably do a much better job.
In the past, most presidents tended to pick career diplomats because they were the best person for the job. They represented Indonesia well to make their president look good. Soeharto had Ali Alatas for the last decade of his rule, Megawati Soekarnoputri picked Hassan Wirajuda, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono relied on Marty Natalegawa and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had Retno LP Marsudi.
Among the few exceptions of noncareer officers that shone was Mochtar Kusumaatmadja, a law professor who served as justice minister before helming the Foreign Ministry under Soeharto.
