Jakarta. Indonesia is a big fan of signing international agreements, but it is doing a poor job of following up on the pacts that it has made, according to a former vice minister.

Indonesia’s foreign policy moves have been under the microscope in recent months. After slamming President Prabowo Subianto’s heavy overseas schedule and delayed ambassador ceremonies, Ex-Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal raised another concern. Based on his conversations with diplomats from the signatory nations, he learnt that Jakarta is not quick enough in moving its deals forward. 

“There is a frustration that so many of the agreements that we have are not followed up,” Dino told a conference held by foreign policy think-tank FPCI in Jakarta on Friday.

“There is a serious issue of foreign policy management. … I don’t mind having only 10 agreements that are fully implemented rather than 100 agreements that are never implemented.”

Dino told reporters he was not referring to a particular agreement, saying that “it’s not just one or two” documents that have not been put into practical effect. 

FPCI co-founder Dewi Fortuna Anwar sees that Indonesia has shown “solid” economic diplomacy, citing the tariff-slashing trade agreements that the government has clinched. However, she pointed out the US tariff deal signed in February was "very asymmetrical" with most of the obligations directed at Indonesia. 

Dewi is also unhappy with Jakarta's failure to take full advantage of its countless platforms, be it the G20, ASEAN, or even the middle power group MIKTA. She compared it to Indonesia’s diplomatic heyday, when it proposed the Bali Democracy Forum and even convened the Bandung Conference opposing colonialism.

“In the past, Indonesia’s power was in the richness of its ideas. Indonesia doesn’t have much material power, but we were always very advanced in our ideas,” Dewi explained.

“That is missing at the moment. We are everywhere physically, but we are not present intellectually.”

The international relations analyst went on to say that Indonesia can recover its influence on the global stage, but this would require political will. “Can Indonesia do it? Yes. Will Indonesia do it? If Indonesia wants to, yes.”

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