Cabinet Secretary Teddy Responds to Criticism Over President Prabowo's Foreign Visits

Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel TNI Teddy Indra Wijaya has responded to criticism and feedback from former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal regarding the high frequency of President Prabowo Subianto’s foreign visits since taking office.

Prabowo’s recent trip to France has been criticised as abrupt and drawn public attention, despite him visiting the country in April and January this year.

“The talk of diplomacy means talking about results. Tangible benefits for the nation,” stated a caption on a video clip posted by the Presidential Secretariat’s Instagram account on Monday (1 June).

He stressed that criticism and feedback are important, and that space for such input remains open.

“But do not obscure the facts about those who are working. Those who are striving together to bring the nation’s interests to the global stage,” Teddy wrote.

The post on the Presidential Secretariat’s account was signed with Teddy’s initials, TIW, indicating it was his own writing.

In the video, Teddy addressed several points, including mentioning Dino, a senior diplomat who served as Deputy Foreign Minister for three months.

“Since I was mentioned by Ambassador Dino, I want to clarify a few things. First, thank you for the input provided; it was meticulous and structured,” Teddy began his statement in the video.

“I believe he is an excellent diplomat, having served as Deputy Foreign Minister, albeit for only about three months,” he added.

The video also included photo inserts of Dino visiting Teddy’s office.

Teddy outlined four points of response to the criticism and concrete results from Prabowo’s diplomatic efforts over the past 1.5 years.

These points covered the cost of foreign travel, size of presidential delegations, scheduling, protocol, and frequency of visits.

“First, regarding the cost of foreign travel. This has been explained multiple times: any excess budgeted costs are fully covered by President Prabowo personally,” Teddy stated.

He also confirmed that the number of people in Prabowo’s foreign delegations has been significantly reduced—nearly 50%—compared to the previous administration.

“Previously, a single trip could involve over 120 people—during Dino’s time. Now, under President Prabowo, it’s a maximum of 50 to 60 people,” Teddy emphasised.

Teddy noted that Prabowo assumed office amid a dynamic global landscape filled with conflicts, necessitating relationships with world leaders.

“We cannot wait until a crisis to seek assistance. No, we must cultivate good relationships. Then, when an urgent situation arises, we can ask for help—and vice versa,” he said.

“This requires personal and emotional closeness between leaders, whether publicly, through media, or behind closed doors,” he added.

Teddy dismissed claims that Prabowo’s foreign trips are merely for show or ceremonial as “completely wrong.”

He asserted that Prabowo’s diplomatic efforts over the past 1.5 years have yielded tangible results, including continued BRICS cooperation ensuring stable fuel and food supplies despite global conflicts following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, a 0% tariff agreement from the European Union implemented during Prabowo’s presidency in 2025, and incoming investments.

“Total investments in the past 1.5 years amount to approximately Rp2.43 trillion, according to BKPM data,” he said.

“Another concrete example: last month, President Prabowo visited Japan and South Korea, immediately resulting in around Rp575 trillion in investments,” he added.

Teddy also mentioned Indonesia’s military capabilities, the Hajj pilgrimage management, the establishment of an Indonesian Hajj Village in the Holy Land, and active support for Palestine.

“These are concrete results of the past 1.5 years—all diplomatic outcomes achieved by President Prabowo through various means, whether publicised or not,” he said.

Previously, Dino had raised public concerns over Prabowo’s travel pattern, suggesting reductions in trips and use of virtual diplomacy.

He shared his views in a video posted via Instagram Reels addressed to Prabowo, stating he felt a moral responsibility to express his opinions on Indonesia’s foreign policy.

“President has awarded me the Bintang Mahaputera, meaning he trusts my credibility and views on foreign policy. Therefore, I feel morally obliged to convey my message honestly,” Dino said in the video on Saturday (30 May).

Dino urged Prabowo to significantly reduce foreign travel frequency and not dismiss public sentiment on the matter.

“According to our calculations, President Prabowo is the world leader who has made the most foreign trips. Since becoming president, he has spent one in six days abroad, hence understandable concerns that this is unusual and beyond reasonable limits,” he said.

Dino admitted it was hard to imagine Prabowo continuing such high-frequency travel for the next 18 months.

He also highlighted the substantial costs incurred by the state for each head of state’s foreign visits, noting these include support teams…