Jakarta. Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka officially made his G20 debut in Johannesburg on Saturday by telling the world’s richest economies that they had no right to dictate to other countries under the guise of cooperation.

President Prabowo Subianto has handed over the G20 duties to his veep. Jakarta claimed that Prabowo was occupied with domestic affairs, hence his absence despite almost never missing out on major global fora.

At the G20 gathering, Gibran delivered a 3-minute speech that repeated Jakarta’s calls to make financing more accessible to expedite poorer nations’ sustainability journey. However, this does not mean that countries, including donors, can order others.

“Indonesia believes that every country is entitled to chart its own development path because there is no single model that fits all. There is no such thing called the ‘best method’,” Gibran told the forum.

“Cooperation must empower, not dictate. Cooperation must uplift, not create dependency.”

Gibran underlined that developing nations need a “more accessible, predictable, and equal” financing. This can take the form of debt relief, innovative financing, blended finance, and green transition mechanism. 

The 38-year-old politician also revealed how Indonesia had allocated over half of its national climate budget -- approximately $2.5 billion a year -- to support green small enterprises, agricultural insurance, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

On the financial inclusion front, Southeast Asia’s biggest economy has what it calls QRIS, which has enabled countless Indonesians to make payments simply by scanning a QR code with their phone’s camera.

“Our national QRIS digital payment system demonstrates how a simple and low-cost digital solution can push participation in the economy and minimize inequality,” Gibran stated.

Indonesia wants to see the G20 members having a dialogue on “intelligent economy” following the rise of crypto assets, digital tokens, and bitcoins -- all of which could create “both opportunities and risks”, Gibran said.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had kicked off the leaders’ summit with a similar tone on the need to make sure that no one gets left behind.

“The disparities in wealth and development within and between nations are not only unjust and unsustainable. It is also one of the greatest impediments to sustainable development. It is essential that we break down divisions of economic status, gender, race, and geography,” Ramaphosa said.

This marks the time for a G20 summit to take place on African soil -- a sign that shows how “Global South is no longer a bystander, but a co-driver”, according to Gibran. The Global South encompasses the world’s developing and least developed nations.

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