Jakarta. As calls for President Prabowo Subianto to cut back on overseas travels mount, there are also demands for the Indonesian leader to never skip ASEAN gatherings and leave the forum early.

Prabowo has long caught attention for his frequent overseas travels, the latest being a trip to France: a country that the retired army general had visited thrice this year. He had spent more than 100 days abroad since rising to power in October 2024, something that had drawn backlash from the public and foreign policy think-tank FPCI. Even so, ASEAN Summits—whose host countries rotate among its members—are unskippable, according to FPCI co-founder Dewi Fortuna Anwar.

“My suggestion would be that the president reduce his international visits, but he must go where he must be. If it is an ASEAN-related summit, it is a must,” the international relations analyst told a conference in Jakarta on Friday.

“It’s haram [forbidden] for the president not to go. We need to show our support for ASEAN. Do not come early from any ASEAN-related meetings,” she said.

Each presidential trip is not only cost-heavy but also takes months of preparations, as both governments have to identify the deliverables and points of discussion between the leaders. Dewi warned that frequent visits to a certain country could put Jakarta in a “subservient position as it no longer feels special”.

Last year, Prabowo cut his ASEAN trip in Kuala Lumpur short. The Indonesian leader, however, stayed for the entire ASEAN Summit in the Philippines in May, a meeting clouded by the Iran war-fueled energy crunch. Prabowo did not join his Southeast Asian counterparts at the group’s recent meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Kazan, with the government naming “domestic affairs” as the reason behind his absence. 

Amid criticisms, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya has said that Prabowo’s overseas trips had delivered tangible results, including fresh investment commitments.

Ex-Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal—who has been keeping a close eye on Prabowo’s diplomatic moves—told the press later that day that the problem lies in the “back-and-forth trips”. 

“Prabowo has spent around 1 out of 5.12 days away from the country. When it comes to presidential visits, it’s best that the government takes into account the interests and has everything well planned. You don’t need to visit the same country four times in a year,” Dino, who also founded FPCI, said.

“But ASEAN summits are a must-attend,” the former US envoy added.

Indonesia is among the founding members of ASEAN, with the group’s headquarters based in its capital, Jakarta.  Indonesia—also Southeast Asia’s biggest economy—was the ASEAN chair in 2023. 

Each ASEAN member gets a turn at helming the Southeast Asian bloc for a year. The next leaders’ gathering will take place in Manila this November.

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