A country has to interact with the international community. To do so in any country there is a unit within the government that has the responsibility of conducting international relations and implementing the country’s foreign policy.
In Indonesia, the Foreign Affairs Ministry was established on Aug. 19, 1945, two days after Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed Indonesia’s independence.
The ministry’s first responsibility was to gather support and solidarity from the international community by getting it to recognize Indonesia’s independence. It bore fruit when Egypt became the first nation to recognize Indonesia’s independence on March 22, 1946.
Recognition, which is the embodiment of the capacity to enter into relations with other states, is an important qualifications for a newborn state together with it having a permanent population, a defined territory and a government.
From the time it was established the ministry has undertaken various important tasks to implement Indonesia’s free and active policy. However, the implementation of that policy from Sukarno’s time until the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration has been interpreted differently. The interpretation has adjusted to Indonesia’s interests and the changing environment of international politics and relations.
As a newborn state, Indonesia under first president Sukarno was very active in its effort to end colonization by powerful Western states in Asia and Africa. The ministry had translated the policy into action by holding a successful Asian-African conference in Bandung in 1955.
The ministry was also crucial in gaining international recognition for Indonesia’s unilateral claim as an archipelagic state in 1957 through what is known as the Djuanda Declaration. The ministry did this in three international conferences on ocean issues. It only succeed in the third conference which resulted in the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under this Convention, the concept of the archipelagic state was recognized.
The ministry was further instrumental in the establishment of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967. This was under the Soeharto administration, which at the time desired peace and stability within the region so countries could develop and cooperate.
The ministry’s role was vital in Indonesia’s effort for international recognition of East Timor (now Timor Leste) as part of Indonesia’s territory. Even though the effort was not successful and ended in East Timor’s independence in 2002, the ministry helped ensure a smooth transition.
The achievements are only some of the many involving the ministry. Currently it is working to ensure the overlapping claims in the South China Sea do not become a cause of armed conflict between countries. This has been the interpretation of a free and active foreign policy under President Yudhoyono, known as “a thousand friends and zero enemies”.
Summing up, Indonesia’s free and active foreign policy has from time to time been interpreted according to the challenges Indonesia has to face.
The challenge of the ministry under the next administration is twofold. The first is to maintain Indonesia’s engagement in international fora. President Yudhoyono and his able right hand man, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, have been praised by many world leaders regarding this role.
The second challenge is to put emphasis more than ever on bilateral engagements. This will be the policy of the new administration.
Bilateralism becomes more important as the public becomes more aware of bilateral issues, such as border issues, international trade issues and protection of Indonesian citizens. These issues have been the basis for domestic criticism against the current government.
Under president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the ministry must change as Jokowi wants our representatives abroad to become marketing agents for Indonesia.
Indonesia’s overseas representatives will be given more burdens and responsibilities. In this regard, the ministry would not be in a position to give a single direction; it would be up to the respective representatives to improvise.
In order to achieve this the ministry has to adjust its personnel and diplomats. The human resources have to be tuned in with the new interpretation of a free and active foreign policy under the new administration.
In bilateralism, human resources play an important role. Diplomats will become the face of Indonesia. Indonesia would truly exist in business communities abroad if the diplomats in whatever rank are outspoken.
Diplomats can no longer subscribe to the principle that silence is golden, or that they have to await instructions from Jakarta; they have to mingle and engage with those who have interests in Indonesia.
Diplomats have to facilitate and become real public servants to Indonesian business interests abroad. However, the diplomats must not distance themselves from Indonesians requiring their assistance.
Diplomats must equip themselves with the skills of implementing economic diplomacy. This means diplomats have to be proactive in approaching economic opportunities — be it in Indonesia or abroad — and take follow-up measures to benefit Indonesia’s economy.
Economic diplomacy also requires able diplomats to act like lawyers when negotiating and drafting international economic instruments, to ensure the instruments would not harm Indonesia’s economic interests.
Another policy of president-elect Jokowi is his “maritime axis” vision. The ministry would have to work with other ministries and government agencies to implement the vision, as this will not be the sole responsibility of the foreign ministry.
The most challenging task would be dealing with how people at large feel the impact of the work done by the ministry. For this reason it has to be more people-oriented. This is where a “mental revolution”, to quote Jokowi, is also needed within the foreign ministry.
Hikmahanto Juwana
A professor of international law at the University of Indonesia.
Dari The Jakarta Post Selasa, 19 Agustus 2014
