Habiburokhman Claims Dino Patti Djalal's Criticism of Prabowo's Foreign Visits is Unethical

In an era of democracy and openness, we certainly remain open to criticism, including from former high-ranking officials such as Dino Patti Djalal, Habiburokhman told reporters on Tuesday (2/6/2026).

“However, as a fellow countryman, I must counter-criticise Dino. His criticism is unproductive because it is not based on accurate information; there is even a tendency for his criticism to serve as a blind political attack intended merely to mock the Prabowo administration,” he added.

According to Habiburongman, Dino’s suggestion that Prabowo should invite more foreign leaders to Indonesia rather than conducting overseas visits is also misplaced. He assessed that in the current era of global uncertainty, a head of state needs to engage in active direct diplomacy.

He cited US President Donald Trump’s visits to China as an example of a leader travelling to defend national interests. Therefore, Habiburokhman believes that Prabowo’s decision to visit various countries is part of an effort to strengthen Indonesia’s position.

“In our view, President Prabowo must be very proactive, both in receiving visits and in visiting other world leaders,” he stated.

“As a former Deputy Foreign Minister, it is also somewhat unethical for Dino to criticise the foreign policy performance of the Prabowo administration,” he continued.

Habiburokhman noted that criticism from former officials towards their successors could potentially backfire if the public begins comparing their respective performances.

“In developed nations, former officials limit their criticism of the performance of their successors. This is based on a sense of respect for those currently in office. Criticism from former officials can even backfire if the public compares the performance of the former official with that of the incumbent,” he remarked.

Previously, Dino expressed his views regarding Prabowo’s international travels via a video uploaded to his social media account on Saturday (30/5). Dino assessed that Prabowo has been the head of state travelling abroad most frequently since taking office, resulting in significant costs.

“In our calculations, among all world leaders, President Prabowo has become the head of state who travels abroad most frequently. Since taking office as President, one out of every six days has been spent abroad, and it is no wonder some consider this unusual and beyond the bounds of reason. It is highly unlikely that in the next 18 months, President Prabowo will continue international visits at such a high frequency,” said Dino.

Dino noted that overseas visits by a head of state incur massive expenses, including costs for advance teams, aircraft, hotels, logistics, consumption, protocol, security, daily allowances for the entire delegation, and various other expenses. According to Dino, a single overseas trip can cost tens to hundreds of billions of rupiah.

Consequently, Dino offered five suggestions for Prabowo. First, to maintain communication with other world leaders, Dino suggested that Prabowo rely more on video calls, Zoom, or telephone calls. Based on his experience, a bilateral visit usually focuses on a single discussion lasting one to two hours at most.