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View all search resultsSugiono's progress report
The minister has laid out his mission. What is lacking here is what concrete actions Sugiono will take and will continue to pursue to realize the ambition?
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Foreign Minister Sugiono delivers his speech on Jan. 14, 2026, during the Foreign Minister's Annual Press Statement (PPTM) in Jakarta. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
F
oreign Minister Sugiono's annual press statement, delivered on Jan. 14, reads more like a presentation of a long list of his activities and his wishes as the chief diplomat, including the reestablishment of the ministry's Directorate General of Economic Relations and Development Cooperation. But how has progress been over the past year?
There are concerns that Sugiono's dual role as the secretary general of the ruling Gerindra party leaves him preoccupied with two roles: minister and politician. There are also concerns that bureaucrats at the ministry still cannot adapt themselves to Sugiono as an outsider. But one year should be enough for the minister and the bureaucrats to make the necessary readjustments.
The minister had disclosed the reestablishment plan shortly after President Prabowo Subianto promoted the retired Army officer to the position in October 2024. In 2001, then-foreign minister Hassan Wirajuda abolished the office, apparently because it had become too exclusive, for instance, giving it direct access to the President.
We agree with the revival of the directorate general to enable Indonesia to deploy more skilled diplomats to manage economic diplomacy amid the current international chaos.
What the public wants to see is the progress of the minister's plan, the minister has enough time and has all the requirements. It is disappointing that the minister repeated the announcement, rather than informing the public about the progress made by the new office.
The ministry has more than enough diplomats with strong economic backgrounds and capabilities. It is doubtful that the minister failed to make significant progress due to internal opposition within the ministry.
Sugiono has three deputies, two senior diplomats Arif Havas Oegroseno and Arrmanatha Nasir, and Anis Matta, a politician who has vast knowledge about Islam. During the press statement, the minister joked that he should have more deputies. Hopefully, it was really a joke because having three deputies is more than enough.
