New hope for the credibility of RI's diplomacy
New hope for the credibility of RI's diplomacy
This is the second of two articles on the development of
Indonesia's diplomacy prepared on a personal basis by Widjoseno
Sastroamidjojo, a staff member at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
JAKARTA (JP): The government's diplomatic flexibility, the
commitment to peace made by rival East Timorese leaders and the
recent agreement between Indonesia and Portugal on a direct vote
are positive developments for the feasibility of reaching a just,
comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to
political problems in East Timor.
Developments in this important issue will also enable new
optimism in the advancement of Indonesia's foreign policy in the
years ahead and provide greater opportunities for the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs to focus its attention on other issues important
to Indonesia. Issues that need to be addressed in the coming
years include the following:
* The deepening of the ministry's role in the foreign policy
decision-making processes.
The reign of the New Order regime inexorably allowed the
growing influence of the state's executive branch to supersede
national interests. This resulted in the foreign policy decision-
making process falling into the hands of a certain group of
ruling political elite.
However, such ultimate political power will soon be replaced
by the growing institutional role, and a politician from any
political party will in the future be able to hold the office of
minister of foreign affairs.
To anticipate this new phenomenon, the ministry should enhance
its professionalism and maintain its political rationale to
develop integrated and reliable foreign policy objectives.
On the other hand, in view of the changing political climate,
the government should take into consideration any input or
feedback from the ministry before formulating domestic policies
with potential external repercussions.
In other words, the relationship between domestic and foreign
policy should be reciprocal. Foreign policy is an extension of
domestic policy, but, to a certain extent, it is also a reaction
to the position of other countries.
* The advancement of Indonesian interests abroad.
In a more democratic Indonesia, the future composition of the
House of Representatives (DPR) will reflect the true aspirations
of the people. It means that the protection of every single
Indonesian citizen abroad -- such as the safety, welfare and
labor rights of Indonesian migrant workers and ship crew members
-- will become a great concern of the representatives, and will
constantly be under their tight scrutiny.
In order to anticipate this development, every diplomatic
agent must be fully aware of his or her duties, as well as being
more attentive and helpful in attending to the needs and
complaints of his or her countrymen.
* The promotion of democratization and human rights.
In the current era of globalization, the ministry should act
more as a "spearhead, an agent of change as well agent of reform"
(as stated by Director General of Political Affairs Nugroho
Wisnumurti) in the promotion of the universal values of human
rights and democratization in Indonesia.
Since 1991, the ministry has initiated the establishment of a
Permanent Inter-Ministerial Committee on Human Rights to be
presided over by the director general of political affairs, a
National Workshop on Human Rights, a National Plan of Action on
Human Rights, and a memorandum of understanding between Indonesia
and the Human Rights Commission regarding technical cooperation
on human rights.
* The constructive improvement and strengthening of the
cohesiveness and the cooperative relationship with member
countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Politically, ASEAN so far has been very successful in keeping
its members together, and gradually expanding its membership to
include the rest of Southeast Asia to become ASEAN 10.
Economically, however, there is still a daunting task that
needs to be dealt with, particularly in order to cope with the
growing world economic trend of free trade. In this case, the
ministry, together with its counterparts from other ASEAN
countries, should view the current economic crisis as an
opportunity to intensify their cooperation and find new
strategies to regain the momentum that was lost in the crisis to
put their economies back on track.
* The pursuit of economic diplomacy.
Referring to a statement made by former U.S. under-secretary
and assistant secretary of state David D. Newsom that "Diplomacy
is totally inseparable from the attitudes and the priority of a
nation," one could easily conclude that diplomacy changes from
time to time, depending on the interests of the government. Since
the economy plays a greater role in the globalization era, it is
high time to put Indonesia's economy at the top of its foreign
policy agenda.
The ministry, therefore, should develop a new diplomatic
strategy to develop its foreign policy to become one with its
commercial interests, and to change the priorities of its foreign
service officers to become a "one man marketing organization"
(commercial diplomacy).
Such a diplomatic strategy -- achieved through cooperation
between entrepreneurs and diplomats -- is needed to attract big
investors and businesses overseas, particularly to restore
Indonesia's economic growth that is essential for the promotion
of peace and stability in the region, as well as the political
position it deserves. Besides, considering efficiency and
effectiveness, it is probably the right time for the ministry to
deal with international trade matters.
* The pursuit of preventive diplomacy initiatives in the South
China Sea issue.
During the last few years, efforts to find a solution to the
South China Sea conflict have appeared to be in slow motion,
while the actual disputes over the conflicting area are steadily
escalating, primarily due to the assertive moves of China.
Based on this progress, the Indonesian government should pay
more attention to the area, particularly with regards to the
potential and, perhaps, contentious disputes in the southern
extremities of the South China Sea with China.
Nevertheless, new hope for the credibility of Indonesia's
foreign policy rests heavily upon favorable domestic conditions,
where human rights values are respected and the prosperity of the
people are safely guaranteed and protected by the government, by
NGOs and, most importantly, by a professional Armed Forces.
In short, every layer of the society should have the
responsibility of ensuring those qualities for the glory of the
Indonesian nation.