DPR Views Prabowo's Overseas Visits as Strategic Moves

Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR), Saan Mustopa, assessed that the high frequency of President Prabowo Subianto’s overseas trips constitutes a strategic measure that cannot be compared with previous administrations. This active approach is viewed as a fundamental response to navigating a global geopolitical landscape full of uncertainty. Saan stated that each leadership era faces a different map of domestic and foreign challenges, ensuring that the diplomatic approaches taken are not the same. “Every government has different strategies, urgencies, and interests in conducting diplomacy and building relations with friendly nations. It cannot be compared directly, as if the President is going abroad too often. What must be examined is the urgency, interests, and strategic objectives of each visit,” Saan said at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday (4/6/2026). Saan holds the view that Indonesia’s current position actually requires a more active presence on the international stage to secure national interests. “Today’s situation requires the President to build good relations more intensively and seriously. This is indeed related to domestic conditions and global conditions whose dynamics are very high,” he said. Furthermore, Saan explained that high-level diplomacy led directly by the President is an extremely effective primary instrument. Through direct communication between heads of state, opportunities for cooperation in investment, trade, and strengthening the national economy can be decided more quickly and concretely. Therefore, the DPR calls on the public to view this series of trips from the aspect of strategic results (outcomes) and their contribution to national resilience, rather than simply looking at the quantity of travel. “Because of that, we must see these visits in the context of national interests and the global challenges currently facing Indonesia,” Saan concluded. Based on compiled data, President Prabowo is recorded as having made approximately 49 overseas visits since officially taking office in October 2024 up to April 2026. Previously, former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal had reminded that these international diplomatic activities should still prioritise the principle of effectiveness and maintain a balance with the improvement of domestic affairs.