Policymakers in the United States may not understand this, but since the late 2020 presidential election, Indonesia has been speaking in codes to what it expected to be the Democratic Joe Biden administration.

In December 2020, when it became apparent there would be a change of the guard in Washington, the President Jokowi administration announced a shift in its defense strategy by moving one of its main combat groups from Jakarta to the Natuna Islands, which are located on the edge of the disputed South China Sea.

The objective of the overt military gesture was clear, to intercept foreign vessels, especially Chinese ones, which have regularly made their way into the waters around Natuna.

And in case Washington was not paying attention, such a strategic shift is a big deal.

For all intents and purposes, President Jokowi had made it clear about his intention to have a good relationship with Beijing.

For a pragmatic President like Jokowi, practical considerations may trump the country’s geopolitical strategy but without doubt Indonesia has edged closer to Beijing under his watch.

Jokowi’s first foreign visit as President was to Beijing, expecting that the Communist country could help him with his infrastructure ambition. And with numerous projects currently underway in Indonesia under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), his decision to get closer to China has yielded good outcomes.

The fact that now Indonesia gets most of its COVID-19 vaccine supplies from China should also be seen as a direct result of Jokowi’s effort to court China.

So, it took a lot of courage to basically aim a gun at a powerful neighbor that has given so much. It is never a good idea to bite the hand that feeds.

The overture did not stop there.

Jokowi was one of the first leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on Jan. 21 after he was sworn in as the 46^th US President.

In fact, President Jokowi added a personal touch by using the emojis of the Indonesian and US flags to conclude his social media message. “Let us continue to strengthen our strategic partnership, not only for the benefit of our two nations, but for a better world for all.”

The photo for that caption shows Jokowi shaking the hand of the newly elected president.

But just like a couple in a bad relationship, in the past six months, Indonesia has staggered from one rejection to another.

In its rhetoric, the Biden administration pledged to maintain its pivot to Asia, a priority made by former president Barack Obama, but the reality on the ground tells a much different story.

We can totally understand if Biden wants to mend ties with his European partners in NATO while at the same time confronting Vladimir Putin, but his effort to deal with problems in Asia was so disorganized that we could not help but think there was not enough understanding about the region or problems at hand.

The episode in which Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried to organize a meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers while on his flight to the Middle East is the perfect encapsulation of that incoherent approach to Asia.

No wonder the meeting was cancelled due to bad internet connection.

The approach to Indonesia can only be described as abysmal.

When the news broke that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would visit Southeast Asia late last month, Southeast Asian watchers waited with bated breath to see if Indonesia would be on his itinerary.

We could certainly expect Austin to drop by, especially after Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman decided to squeeze in a Jakarta schedule in between her stops in Cambodia and Thailand.

So a loud groan could be heard in Jakarta’s corridor of power when it became obvious that Austin would only visit countries that mattered “strategically’: Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines.

One week later, we certainly could expect a bigger prize when it was announced late last week that Vice President Kamala Harris would visit Southeast Asia in August. Not only is Harris one of the most popular politicians in the United States who could generate excitement in the region, she is certainly the highest-ranking politician to visit Southeast Asia so early in the Biden administration.

Also, imagine the glowing review if Vice President Harris landed in Jakarta and staged a public lecture in front of an adoring feminist crowd à la president Obama with his lecture at the University of Indonesia.

But again, nada, zilch, zero.

The first female US vice president will only make stops in Singapore and Vietnam, again two countries that have direct strategic value to the US.

And as if all these snubs were not enough, President Biden takes the cake himself.

In his first direct comment about Indonesia, Biden made an official statement that basically put Jakarta, literally on the spot.

While visiting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Biden mentioned that Jakarta was projected to sink in the next 10 years and that its population may have to evacuate the city as a result of the rising sea level.

"But what happens, what happens in Indonesia if the projections are right that, in the next 10 years, they may have to move the capital city because they will be underwater?" Biden told leaders of the US intelligence services, essentially putting Indonesia as a threat to the environment, if not a future threat to security.

President Biden may not understand this but in Javanese culture, speaking ill about somebody else’s house, is considered a cardinal sin. And in case you missed the first paragraph of this article, President Jokowi is a Javanese man who does not respond to criticism kindly.

To quote another Javanese aphorism: “You may not have to help us but at least don’t insult.”

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Editor-in-chief of The Jakarta Post

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