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If Indonesia is revamping its foreign policy, where is the white paper?
A clear direction and some degree of predictability is good for the country and also benefits neighboring countries.
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Defining our direction: Foreign Minister Sugiono speaks during the Foreign Minister's Annual Press Statement (PPTM) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Building in Jakarta, on Jan. 10. (Courtesy of Foreign Ministry/Courtesy of Foreign Ministry)
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ompleting his first 100 days in office this week, President Prabowo Subianto has followed most policies of the previous government, consistent with his election campaign pledge. One area he has not, however, is on foreign affairs, where he made several big changes that impact Indonesia’s international relations. Where exactly he is taking Indonesia is not clear.
It is now obvious that the former Army general is taking control of foreign policy into his own hands, which hitherto had been the purview of the Foreign Ministry. He chose Sugiono, a close confidante from his Gerindra Party with limited exposure to international affairs, to run the ministry, in preference over senior diplomats.
The few policy changes Prabowo has made departed from tradition, perplexing his own diplomats and Indonesia’s foreign policy community at large. If the experience of the last three months is an indication, then we can expect more unexpected changes.
But this is no way to run foreign policy. A clear direction and some degree of predictability is good for the country and also benefits neighboring countries. With middle power Indonesia now aspiring to play a bigger role in global affairs, the responsible thing to do is also to let the world know of our intentions.
After their first 100 days in office, Prabowo and Sugiono should consider publishing a white paper on foreign policy. This can help explain to the nation and the world about where they want to take Indonesia in the next five years and beyond, and how they plan to get there.
Sugiono did not reveal much in his inaugural press statement as foreign minister on Jan. 10. The speech at the start of the year traditionally gives a glimpse of how the government sees the coming year, the challenges facing the nation and how it intends to deal with them. The speech was seen as the ministry’s main agenda for the next 12 months.
Indonesia’s foreign policy community and the diplomatic corps in Jakarta were disappointed at the lack of clarity of the new government’s foreign policy from Sugiono’s speech.
