Dino Patti Djalal Proposes Five Recommendations for President to Reduce Foreign Visits

Founder and Chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI), Dino Patti Djalal, has proposed five recommendations for President Prabowo Subianto to reduce the frequency of overseas trips. Dino stated that the President’s high frequency of foreign visits is straining the national budget amid an unstable economic situation.

“As a long-time friend and representing the international community and the people, I urge President Prabowo to significantly reduce overseas travel,” Dino said via his personal Instagram account on Saturday (30 May).

Dino noted that, according to his calculations, Prabowo is among the most frequent travellers abroad since taking office.

“No wonder some consider this unusual and beyond reasonable bounds,” he said.

He highlighted that state visits incur substantial costs, including advance teams, aircraft, hotels, logistics, catering, security, daily allowances for delegates, and other support staff. “A single overseas trip can cost tens or even hundreds of billions of rupiah,” Dino added.

Here are five recommendations for President Prabowo:

Dino urged the President to maximise virtual communication such as video calls, Zoom, or phone calls to maintain relations with world leaders.

“In my experience, bilateral visits often centre around a single one- to two-hour discussion, with the rest being small talk, banquets, and ceremonial events that are usually unnecessary,” he said.

Dino added that virtual communication could save hundreds of billions of rupiah without compromising diplomatic substance, while addressing public perceptions of excessive spending.

Dino cited Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who reportedly has held over a dozen phone calls with US President Donald Trump without in-person meetings. “During her working visit to Spain, President Sheinbaum even flew economy class to set an example on cost-cutting,” he said.

His second suggestion was for the President to leverage international forums to hold bilateral meetings with other leaders simultaneously. “The 1+8 formula could be applied: when attending an international forum, the President could meet eight other heads of state at once,” he said.

He added that the number eight was chosen as it corresponds to the President’s favoured number, 08.

For the third recommendation, Dino called for better planning of the President’s foreign travel agenda. “Accountability and transparency are crucial, as the public is often unaware of the President’s whereabouts,” he said.

The fourth suggestion was for Prabowo to host more foreign leaders in Indonesia, a practice followed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Fifth, Dino proposed delegating technical and tactical diplomatic missions to Foreign Minister Sugiono.

President Prabowo Subianto met with French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to France, agreeing to strengthen cooperation in higher education and research.

President Prabowo stated that Indonesia-France bilateral relations are currently at the highest level in history, which he conveyed to Macron.

The Grand Croix de la Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest honour bestowed upon Prabowo by Macron, was presented during the visit.

President Prabowo attended a state dinner hosted by Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday (28 May).

President Prabowo met with Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Thursday (28 May), with both committing to enhancing economic and educational partnerships.

The President’s foreign travel and the South Aceh Regent Mirwan MS’s umrah trip during a disaster are two different matters and cannot be compared.