Foreign
Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi speaking to the media at the State
Palace in Jakarta on Oct. 26, 2014. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)
Jakarta.
Indonesia’s first female foreign minister, Retno Marsudi, confirms
predictions that the country’s foreign policy under President Joko
Widodo will be directed toward supporting the national interest rather
than maintaining or expanding previous administration’s international
activism.
Speaking in her first press conference on Wednesday, Retno said
“pro-people” diplomacy would be the soul of Indonesia’s foreign policy, a
shift in focus from former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s
principle of “thousand friends, zero enemies” — which was translated
into the country’s increasing presence and roles in international
forums.
“Indonesia’s foreign policy must be down-to-earth; it should not be
detached from the people’s interests,” Retno said. “Therefore, the kind
of diplomacy that the Foreign Ministry will do is a pro-people
diplomacy, diplomacy for the people.”
Pro-people diplomacy, she explained, should pave the way for more economic opportunities for Indonesians abroad.
To explore such opportunities, Indonesian diplomats stationed
overseas will be expected to perform “ blusukan ,” a trademark activity
of President Joko, which is loosely translates into impromptu visits to
the constituents by state officials.
“We need a change of mindset among Indonesian diplomats, aimed at
making us more active in doing economic diplomacy,” the former
Indonesian ambassador to the Netherlands said. “Indonesian diplomats,
including ambassadors, must also perform ‘blusukan.’ ”
Through such impromptu visits, Indonesian missions overseas are
expected to be able to send to the home country information concerning
potential business opportunities in other countries.
“And then we’ll be able to give clear guidelines [as to what to do] to Indonesian representative offices [overseas].”
Retno said, though, that she did not know yet if the new foreign policy would mean higher costs.
“We hope the budget will be enough. Anyway, we in the Foreign
Ministry have been used to working with [budget constraints]. That’s
what being a diplomat is, to fight,” she said. “We can lobby to develop
our links. We’ll optimize what we have.”
By serving the needs of the people, inside the country and outside,
Indonesia will hopefully transform into a great nation, Retno said.
Indonesian diplomatic missions are also expected to step up
protection of Indonesian citizens overseas, which, under the Yudhoyono
administration, has been largely considered a failure, citing the many
cases of violence — some of them fatal — involving Indonesian migrant
workers in countries including Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, regardless of
whether they are victims or perpetrators that are facing the death
penalty.
“We will really do our best for Indonesian citizens. We haven’t
thought of structural changes to improve the protection; but we will
optimize existing units through internal coordination,” Retno said.
She added that the ministry’s director general for the protection of
Indonesian citizens and the legal bureau would still be tasked with the
issue.
Retno further added with President Joko’s firm direction concerning
the issue, coordination with other relevant state institutions were
expected to improve.
Rizal Sukma, a foreign-policy expert who was actively involved in
composing Joko’s foreign-policy platform, added on Wednesday that the
new foreign minister was also expected to put more attention on
bilateral relations, which would directly benefit Indonesia rather than
multilateral processes.
‘Firmer’ Indonesia
Retno said Indonesia would show a firmer stance in dealing with
diplomatic disputes, such as the wiretapping scandal implicating
Australia and border disputes with the archipelago’s Southeast Asian
neighbors.
Border negotiations and settlements will continue to be among the Foreign Ministry’s priority programs.
“Being firm doesn’t always mean being confrontational. I’ll try not
to be confrontational. Our firmness will be intended to help us reach
our goals,” Retno said.
“To uphold our political sovereignty, what we must do is preserve the
sovereignty of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia. We’ll do
this firmly and clearly.”
International relations expert Hikmahanto Juwana agrees with Retno’s pledge to develop a firm diplomatic stance.
He added, though, that it should be like Joko’s style of leadership — firm demeanor combined with pro-people policies.
“[With that], Foreign Minister Retno should be able to change the
mindset of officials in Indonesian representative offices overseas,”
said the University of Indonesia professor of international law.
Hikmahanto added, however, that Retno’s specialty in American and
European affairs should not make her “more accommodative” toward the two
regions’ interests.
Before heading Indonesia’s diplomatic mission in the Netherlands,
Retno served as the Foreign Ministry’s director general for America and
Europe. Prior to that, she served as the Indonesian ambassador to Norway
and Iceland.
Hikmahanto praised the diplomatic credentials of Retno, who began her
diplomatic career in 1986, upon graduating from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah
Mada University’s School of International Relations.
“In the bureaucracy, she has been unstoppable, continuing to rise with her career,” he said.
But Foreign policy observer Bantarto Bandoro of the Indonesia Defense
University reminded Retno not to neglect Indonesia’s international
diplomacy that may not directly concern Indonesia.
In his opinion piece published in the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday,
Bantarto compares Retno to her predecessor, Marty Natalegawa, who has
been widely credited for building “an impressive legacy” in the form of
Indonesia’s expanding international roles and reputation during his five
years in office.
“The job of foreign minister is not only about putting the country’s
bilateral relations back in order, but it is also about how Indonesia,
under the new government, would continue to adhere to the belief that it
needs to continue its international role, despite the possibility of
fresh domestic flash points resulting from possible clashes of political
interest,” Bantarto wrote.
He added that Retno should also not forget Joko’s goals of turning
Indonesia into a so-called global maritime axis — which the president
has immediately translated into setting up a new coordinating ministry,
the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs.
“What is more important for Retno is how she will inject maritime
elements into her ministry’s agenda in a way that reflects Joko’s
aspiration to turn Indonesia into a maritime axis,” Bantarto said.
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