Expert suggests Indonesia should promote BRICS as a moderate and democratic forum

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia is considered to need a push to transform BRICS into a moderate and democratic forum, with measurable performance that avoids creating the impression of a new economic bloc potentially competing with the US-led bloc.

This statement was made by International Relations expert Teuku Rezascah, referring to Indonesia’s position as a BRICS member joining in January 2025.

“The target Indonesia needs to pursue is to make BRICS a moderate, democratic forum, accompanied by measurable performance, without appearing as a new economic bloc with the potential to defeat the US-led bloc,” he said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to him, Indonesia possesses high credibility because it continuously aligns national development with the themes of cooperation promoted by BRICS annually.

Furthermore, Indonesia is deemed to need continuous alignment of BRICS’ development with South-South cooperation, so that membership can contribute to improving the quality of human resources, democratisation consistent with local wisdom, and cross-regional development based on equality and brotherhood.

Reza added that Indonesia has been able to position itself as a credible new member of BRICS by building a role in accordance with the references and mechanisms applicable within the group.

In shaping the future BRICS agenda, he continued, Indonesia should always refer to the experiences of countries that joined before or after Indonesia.

“In shaping the future BRICS agenda, Indonesia should first be able to impress upon itself as a country that is not seeking leadership within BRICS, and should always refer to those who entered BRICS earlier and those who joined after Indonesia,” he said.

Furthermore, he stated that Indonesia needs to continue encouraging the exchange of experiences in addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) challenges among BRICS members by sharing best practices.

The BRICS Summit will be held in New Delhi, India, on 12-13 September.

Countries belonging to BRICS include Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.