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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