Five Suggestions from Dino Patti Djalal Regarding Prabowo's Foreign Trips Met with Response from Cabinet Secretary Teddy

Former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal has proposed five key suggestions regarding President Prabowo Subianto’s international travels, a move that has drawn a response from Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. In a video posted on Saturday, Dino advised the President to significantly reduce the frequency of overseas trips, citing the immense costs involved in logistics, security, and delegations.

Accordingino to Dino, President Prabowo has become one of the most frequent travelling heads of state since taking office. He noted that a single overseas trip can cost tens to hundreds of billions of rupiah, covering everything from aircraft and hotels to protocol and security. To address this, Dino offered five specific recommendations:

First, he suggested relying more on digital communication, such as video calls or Zoom, for bilateral discussions, noting that most meetings only last one to two hours. He cited Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who has maintained communication with US President Donald Trump via telephone without the need for physical meetings.

Second, Dino advised utilising existing international forums to conduct bilateral meetings with other attending heads of state to save time and costs. He noted instances where requests for meetings, such as from Finnish President Alexander Stubb, allegedly went unresponded.

Third, he emphasised the need for professional planning and transparency. Dino suggested that the Cabinet Secretary or Foreign Minister should announce the President’s travel itinerary at least a week in advance to ensure accountability, noting that some recent trips, such as to Pakistan and Russia, were conducted without prior public notice.

Fourth, Dino recommended that for the coming year, the President should focus more on receiving foreign dignitaries in Indonesia rather than travelling abroad, pointing to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a model for this approach.

Fifth, he suggested that tactical diplomatic missions should be handled primarily by Foreign Minister Sugiono to reduce costs, as ministerial delegations are significantly smaller than presidential entourages.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya responded to these suggestions via a video released by the Cabinet Secretariat on Monday. While thanking Dino for his structured feedback, Teddy clarified that any excess costs incurred during President Prabowo’s overseas visits are borne by the President’s personal funds.