Jakarta. Shoestring budget and the demand for concrete results are some of the challenges that the just-appointed Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir will face after his promotion, according to analysts.

His predecessor Sugiono was Indonesia’s first non-career foreign minister in a long time. During his time being the country’s chief diplomat, Indonesia made several major moves, some even controversial. As a case in point, Indonesia joined the Russia-sponsored alliance BRICS and was a founding member to US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza. With a career diplomat back on the ministry’s helm, expectations are high.

Dino Patti Djalal — former deputy foreign minister who had repeatedly criticized Sugiono — wants Arrmanatha to play a more active role in shaping the global architecture. He urged Indonesia’s foreign policy not to hold back on upholding international relations principles.

“[Indonesia] must never bow to pressure from any nation, regardless of how big they are,” Dino said, while avoiding naming a specific country.

However, Dino pointed out the budgetary limitations, a criticism often missing in foreign policy discourse. The seasoned diplomat revealed the tight budget had prevented Indonesian envoys from hosting Independence Day diplomatic receptions and following up on the many agreements sealed during Prabowo’s overseas trips. 

“There is a yawning gap between the budget and operational needs that we have to fix, especially if we see ourselves as an ASEAN leader, a G20 founder, and an 'Asian tiger’,” Dino said. 

The Foreign Ministry has its spending capped at no more than Rp 10.2 trillion ($570.6 million) this year, according to the state budget document. Other departments have deeper pockets, such as the Defense Ministry’s Rp 187 trillion ($10.5 billion) and the Agricultural Ministry’s Rp 40 trillion ($2.2 billion).

Aswin Ariyanto Azis, an international relations expert from Brawijaya University, named “overstretching diplomacy risks” as Arrmanatha’s top challenge. Indonesia is now part of BRICS, G20, ASEAN, and will eventually expand with the rich country club OECD if its bid goes well.

“Opening too many diplomatic fronts across many fora without sharp execution can be risky,” Aswin told the Jakarta Globe.

“The question is not whether Jakarta will sit at the negotiating table. It’s more on whether our foreign ministry can translate the membership into a concrete boon for our economy without jeopardizing our free and active foreign policy.” 

CSIS researcher Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma called Arrmanatha — who was previously Sugiono’s deputy — a “multilateral expert”. However, things would hinge on how Arrmanatha leverages the ministry’s tools to restore focus to Indonesia’s interests of promoting security, justice, and prosperity. Jakarta needs to make sure of ASEAN’s resilience from major power pressures, including by having the group “more agile in coming up with collective positions”. 

Waffaa also acknowledged that the Palestine question remained a “global moral test”, while calling for a diplomacy that upholds accountability.

“Israel has yet to be held accountable,” Waffaa wrote.

To the press, Arrmanatha admitted that he would follow Prabowo’s instructions.

“At the end of the day, the foreign policy mandate rests on Mr. President.”

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