Jakarta Tue, January 9, 2024
Retno LP Marsudi, the foreign minister, purposefully held her yearly press conference on Monday at the Merdeka Building in Bandung, West Java, the site of Indonesia’s hosting of the Asia-Africa conference in 1955. The nine-year-old ministry’s accomplishments in carrying out the constitutional mandate of “free and active” foreign policy were showcased by her at the ancient edifice. Given that Retno compared her speech to a kind of public accountability, it is reasonable to assume that the public is pleased with her performance because of the concrete things she has accomplished. Despite a number of shortcomings, consumers were able to overlook them since they witnessed improvement. Retno’s final yearly statement will be made during the press conference in Bandung because President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his administration are set to step down in October. Retno’s skill is further demonstrated by the fact that President Jokowi appointed her as his principal envoy for two terms in a succession. Retno typically acted alone, and the President only showed an interest in foreign affairs during his second term, albeit narrowly focused on ASEAN. It appears that she was well aware of her boss’s desires, and the President has not yet voiced any concerns. She identified four areas of focus for Indonesian diplomacy during her term.
The defense of Indonesian nationals abroad comes in second. Numerous expatriate Indonesians have attested to the kindness and assistance of Indonesian ambassadors. Third, reiterating Indonesia’s national identity. The Foreign Ministry has achieved great strides in resolving border issues with neighboring countries like Malaysia and Vietnam over the past nine years. However, there is still a long-standing disagreement between China’s nine-dash line claim and Indonesia’s sovereign rights over the Natuna Sea that has to be resolved. Fourth, diplomacy for international and regional stability and peace. Indonesia’s diplomacy under Retno has been emphasized by its steadfast support of Palestine’s right to independence. Washington and other parties have also offered Jakarta diplomatic ties, but Jakarta has declined. However, we should admit that in the world’s largest Muslim nation, the issue of Palestine is a sensitive one.
Back in 2014, when Jokowi nominated Retno to the position, senior diplomats doubted her capacity to lead the nation’s diplomatic endeavors. Instead of seeing her as a visionary leader, they saw her as a superb bureaucrat. Retno, the first female in the role, was expressly instructed by Jokowi to use diplomacy to draw in foreign direct investment and accelerate economic growth. And he wanted tangible outcomes. Jokowi, a former entrepreneur, has placed greater emphasis on the economics than his predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who enjoyed being viewed as the world’s leading middle-class leader and actively managed the nation’s foreign policy. Jokowi was therefore able to explain Indonesia’s 2022 presidency of the Group of 20, which brought him praise from around the world for organizing a productive summit. The G20 Summit in Bali, which took place amidst disagreements over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, marked the pinnacle of Retno’s diplomatic accomplishments. The event was spared by last-minute agreements and talks by Indonesian diplomats. When Jokowi took over as ASEAN chairman in 2023, he was unable to duplicate the G20’s achievements. ASEAN was still unable to bring an end to the Myanmar situation under his direction. The five-point consensus that they and ASEAN agreed upon has been consistently disregarded by the military regime.
Minimal progress was also made by ASEAN, led by Indonesia, in getting China to expedite the creation of the non-binding South China Sea Code of Conduct. However, China continues to claim the sea, which is rich in natural resources, as its property, thus Indonesia is not solely to blame for this. Under Retno’s leadership, Indonesian diplomacy has advanced significantly, and she is deserving of recognition for her accomplishments. As she serves her final nine months in office, we anticipate tremendous things from her.
