One particular issue we discussed at length was the topic of Indonesia’s image overseas. By way of discussing this topic, we also touched on the international perception of Indonesia and national branding.

Lately, the image is being shaken by the labeling of Indonesia as the new epicenter of the pandemic by some news outlets.  

The Jakarta Post in its editorial on Aug. 2 said news of travel restrictions for outbound passenger flights from Indonesia and foreigners hastily returning home was bad PR for Indonesia.

These realities do not bode well for public diplomacy efforts to generate a positive perception of Indonesia as a prime destination for tourism and investment.

The question then arises about what course of action Indonesian diplomats should consider in the area of public diplomacy vis-à-vis the challenge of bad PR. Should we wait until such labeling reaches a plateau and only then start a positive campaign or is continuing in the current efforts a better route?

My initial reaction to their query is that while time is of the essence, we cannot afford to let the information space be flooded with negative messages on Indonesia. We could not fathom the price of inaction.

The public diplomacy campaign should be aimed at swaying international perception into a positive light with more tactful narratives, such as outlining the extensive vaccination efforts being carried out.

Perception is not necessarily formed by facts or informed knowledge. Hearsay, fake news, disinformation—caused by the increasing ability to manipulate digital information—and of course past uncanny experiences, would have had some shared responsibilities in the forming of one’s perception.

Perception is also influenced by direct interaction and experiencing Indonesia. Foreign tourists, business communities and expatriates gained the opportunity to form such perception when meeting with Indonesians of various walks of life.

With this in mind, I impressed upon the training participants the importance of the diplomatic machinery to continue presenting good news on Indonesia to our global audiences.

If, in the meantime, crafting good news is not very opportune, we still need to project a sense of optimism and confidence on Indonesia’s prospect in the long term. Surely the pressure of the pandemic will ease at one point and Indonesia with all its untapped potential will rebound.

Our discussion then focused on the issue of Indonesia’s image overseas and that of national branding. I invited them to list the impressions about Indonesia among the people they met during assignments overseas.

Is Indonesia known for its uniqueness; as an archipelagic country of thousands of islands? Is it by the friendliness of the people, made up of hundreds of ethnicities? Is it because of the basic traits of the people who promote tolerance among different faith groups and cultures?

Are they impressed with Indonesia as the third-largest democracy and, at the same time, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world?

On the other end of the spectrum, what is the image of Indonesia on the issue of clean government? Is Indonesia seen as committed to eradicating the challenge of corruption? In 2020, our national score was still below expectation as Indonesia ranked 102^nd out of 180 countries in the corruption perceptions index.

What is the perception of business communities on Indonesia’s attractiveness for doing business? Do they anticipate greater efficiency among the bureaucracy, especially after the enactment of the Job Creation Law? The law aimed at disentangling a web of bureaucracy and streamlining regulations.

The impressions might not necessarily be in harmony with how their government perceives Indonesia. Impression by a foreign government is shaped by many factors, including long historic relations, geopolitical and geoeconomic considerations and their foreign policy interests.

Responses by the mid-carrier diplomats varied. They said the impressions ranged from positive to rather disturbing, the latter mostly confined to issues of corruption and red-tape.

Hence, we remain hopeful that cases of misappropriating national funds earmarked for assisting the neediest and most vulnerable of Indonesians during the pandemic would not dampen the government’s serious efforts to eradicate corruption.

We wonder if the cases can be seen as an aberration, considering average Indonesians have shown a lot of compassion toward their fellow countrymen during this difficult time.

On average, the level of solidarity among Indonesians remains high. The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)—in its global pandemic special report for 2021—ranked Indonesia first in the World Giving Index. More than eight in 10 Indonesians donate money and their rate of volunteering is more than three times the global average.

We see the merit in capitalizing on this recognition and in making sure that our national branding should include the narrative of Indonesians being compassionate and caring toward others.

Surely, there are many other brands that can be attached to Indonesia. Some of them include a middle power country, the largest economy in Southeast Asia and a country that consistently adopts a free and independent foreign policy.

Concerning Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy, it would be unfortunate if the brand was perceived incorrectly. A closer look by Jakarta-based diplomats should find a clear distinction between our firm national position and the day-to-day tactical operationalization in interstate relations.

To conclude, as Indonesians we need to make sure that positive branding of our country is here to stay. It is our collective task as Indonesians to maintain and promote the national branding that we are attached to.

Even after 76 years of independence, there remains a lot of work that must be done in the area of image building. We shall not be complacent and must continue transforming Indonesia for the better. To quote Ambassador Wiryono Sastrohandoyo, a respected retired Indonesian diplomat, “we cannot change the image unless we change the reality.”

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The writer is a former Indonesian ambassador to Canada. The views expressed are his own.