Presidential transition and RI's foreign policy

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.