Cabinet Secretary Accepts Dino's Criticism, Warns Against Obscuring Facts

Jakarta - Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya has stated that the government is open to criticism but requested that such feedback not obscure the achievements of President Prabowo Subianto’s foreign trips. ‘We welcome all feedback, but must not obscure the facts regarding the achievements made,’ Cabinet Secretary Teddy said in an official Cabinet Secretariat broadcast in Jakarta on Monday. The statement was a response to criticism from former Deputy Foreign Minister and founder of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Dino Patti Djalal, regarding President Prabowo’s overseas visits over the past 18 months. The six-minute-plus broadcast included at least eight points of response and clarification addressing Dino Patti Djalal’s social media comments on President Prabowo’s foreign travel agenda. Cabinet Secretary Teddy began his response by thanking Dino for his input and criticism. Teddy then addressed Dino’s criticisms in order, starting with the issue of travel costs, which Dino had described as ‘very high’. ‘Any excess budget allocated by the state for these trips is fully covered personally by President Prabowo,’ Teddy stated. The Cabinet Secretary went on to address criticism regarding the size of the presidential delegation for overseas trips. Teddy highlighted that compared to his predecessors, President Prabowo has reduced the delegation size for each foreign engagement of the head of state. Regarding the scheduling of foreign trips, Dino previously suggested that such visits should be planned at least a year in advance. Dino also recommended that Cabinet Secretary Teddy and Foreign Minister Sugiono announce the president’s foreign travel plans a month before departure, or at least a week prior. Cabinet Secretary Teddy responded that the president’s foreign travel schedule is divided into annual plans and urgent trips to respond to dynamic global developments. ‘Global developments are highly dynamic, day by day. Hence, there are annual schedules and urgent trips based on domestic and international needs,’ said the Cabinet Secretary. Teddy cited annual events such as the ASEAN Summit, G20 Summit, APEC Summit, BRICS Summit, and UN General Assembly meetings as examples of planned trips. Urgent trips, he added, relate to global dynamics, including conflicts in various countries, crises in the Middle East, and developments in Palestine. Teddy’s subsequent response addressed Dino’s criticism about the frequency of President Prabowo’s foreign trips and protocol-related matters. ‘President Prabowo assumed office amid global crises, including conflicts in Ukraine and Venezuela, and now in Iran and the Middle East, involving Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, and others,’ he said. ‘We must cultivate good relationships; should an urgent situation arise, we can seek assistance, and vice versa,’ Teddy added. Teddy further explained that President Prabowo’s diplomatic approach relies on ‘personal closeness’. ‘Personal and emotional connections between leaders are essential, whether face-to-face, media-covered, or private. That is diplomacy. It is a mistake to label it as mere showmanship or ceremony. We must consider what has been achieved in the past 18 months,’ Teddy said.