In an opinion piece which appeared in Kompas newspaper on Oct 21, around the one-year mark of Prabowo’s presidency, former Indonesian ambassador to Ukraine, Yuddy Chrisnandi, noted that Prabowo’s visits have resulted in many investment pledges worth a total of more than US$112 billion.
But the president, he wrote, still needs experienced diplomats to turn these pledges into realities.
“The president, as the real foreign minister, needs to be supported … by experienced individuals with proven track records in leading diplomatic missions, so they can serve as dynamic counterparts in jointly formulating international diplomatic agendas with the president,” wrote Yuddy, who is also a professor of political science at National University in Jakarta.
Former Indonesian ambassador to the United States, Dino Patti Djalal, said Sugiono appeared to be busier in his other role as secretary general of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) – a party co-founded and chaired by Prabowo – than leading the country’s diplomats and foreign ministry officials.
“The Foreign Ministry is like a Ferrari — full of extraordinarily talented diplomats. But a Ferrari can only perform at its best if it is driven by a skilled and focused driver,” Dino said in an Instagram post on Dec 21.
When asked about the criticisms aired by the two ambassadors, Yuddy and Dino, foreign ministry spokeswoman Yvonne said: “The ministry of foreign affairs respects these constructive inputs and consistently opens its doors to different points of view.”
Prabowo’s hands-on leadership style and limited consultation with experienced diplomats have at times led the Indonesian president to take positions that deviate from long-held foreign policy stances, experts noted, citing how he has also occasionally made off-the-cuff remarks that caused some confusion and controversy.
After meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in November 2024, Prabowo said Indonesia and China had agreed to jointly develop the maritime economy in their overlapping areas of the South China Sea.
While Indonesia does not claim any part of the South China Sea, China’s so-called “nine-dash line” overlaps with Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone around the Natuna archipelago in Riau Islands province.
Read the full article here
