Presidential transition and RI's foreign policy

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

Following clear signs that Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is set to lead the country, he was reported as saying that domestic problems would be the focus of his policy in his first 100 days. He also said he would refrain from making foreign trips (The Jakarta Post, Sept. 23).

His view likely rests on the conviction that he should first handle the country's paramount domestic problems; that foreign policy would be a later priority for his government after restoring domestic chaos.

Susilo won the mandate from the people to bring change to the country and create a better Indonesia. The public will be observing very closely whether the next government is really committed to change. But what the country needs now is effective leadership in domestic as well as foreign policy.

On the foreign policy front in particular, a change of government should not in any way downgrade our nation's effectiveness in the international community.

The former U.S. secretary of state Dean Acheson once reminded the American people during the 1952-1953 transition from president Harry Truman to Dwight Eisenhower that "some work in the process we were able to carry through home and abroad; other matters languished, while the great external realm waited to see what manner of man follow us".

In this context, the message is clear that Susilo as the country's next president will also need to have a full and proper understanding of our foreign policy so as to make Indonesia's international standing even more solid and respected.

To achieve such an objective, Susilo should attempt to build a national consensus that domestic national policies will not be effective if they are not related to an international framework.

It is against such a background that Susilo needs to embark on foreign trips at the earliest time of his presidency, particularly to ASEAN countries as this has been a tradition for quite some time. Susilo must not skip important regional meetings such as the ASEAN summit in Laos, APEC forum in Chile or the ASEM summit in Hanoi later this year.

Such multilateral forums provide ample opportunity for him to introduce fresh ideas about Indonesia's approach to regional and international affairs as well as to explain the changes to be initiated by the new government.

To balance between domestic and international needs is perhaps the biggest challenge of Susilo government. He must realize that foreign policy can be effective way to meet the country's domestic needs. The next government should be aware that peace, stability and prosperity at home are also influenced by external developments and the government must try to influence those developments by mobilizing whatever resources are available.

We must be able to seize the opportunities provided by the transition, but we also have to be fully aware that presidential transition can represent periods of lost opportunity, if not danger. The reliability of Indonesia's diplomacy during the Megawati government, as perceived at least by the countries in our immediate region, seemed to have been lessened by the seemingly unclear foreign policy objectives that accompanied the changeover from president Abdurrahman Wahid to Megawati.

As the presidential transition here takes place at the time of growing complexity and uncertainty in our strategic environment, nothing would do better to accelerate the transition and reduce the cost than to achieve a general consensus at home on the direction of our domestic and foreign policies.

While in today's complex world it is unlikely, if not impossible, for us here to achieve a national consensus on all aspects of foreign policy, better mutual understanding and support on the country's future international role should be effectively sought. Such support would not only decrease the danger that unwise foreign policy would backfire on the country, but also helps to give the new president an armory of tested policies to strengthen his capacity to face foreign policy challenges.

Susilo has hinted his administration would launch a series of bold new policies. This would lead to changes, some of which would be fundamental ones.

However, Susilo should not overlook at least three cautionary notes:

First, he should not undertake foreign policy changes simply for the sake of appearing different from his predecessor.

Second, he should remember that while Indonesia is perceived as the most influential country in the region, it continues to struggle for its economic recovery. This country must proceed with a degree of consistency in relations so as to maintain external resources for its economic development.

Third, Susilo's administration should beware of the "100 days syndrome", especially as it affects foreign policy, which would cause Susilo and his team to believe that if they have not made momentous decisions by the end of their first three months, they would fail in the next five years.

It is a political reality that foreign policy issues did not attract the attention of the presidential candidates during the election campaigns. But because foreign policy is indeed an instrument to promote and articulate national interests abroad, it is perhaps wise for one to call for a greater continuity of foreign policy insofar as it reflects an underlying consensus about our major foreign policy objectives.

Sudden basic shifts and changes in foreign policy could destabilize and disrupt the country.

Therefore, Susilo's foreign policy team should reach a consensus that the next administration's foreign policy must be built upon pragmatic, realistic and rational thought. This should then be translated into a fresh foreign policy agenda that is oriented toward overcoming our domestic problems.

The new president must have a good grasp of the country's international affairs and understand the importance of international links to the solution of our domestic problems. Coherence and consistency in foreign policy are best served if the president has only one principle lieutenant in that area, the minister for foreign affairs.

The writer is the editor of The Indonesian Quarterly of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and a lecturer of the International Relations Post-graduate Studies Program at the Faculty of Social and Political Science, the University of Indonesia. He can be contacted at bandoro@csis.or.id.