Jakarta. A former senior diplomat said Thursday that it wouldn’t be a problem if President Prabowo Subianto picks a non-career diplomat to fill in the vacant US envoy post as Indonesia tries to negotiate Washington’s reciprocal tariffs.

US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff salvo has brought to public attention the vacant ambassadorial seat in Washington DC. The last person to fill this position was the current Investment Minister Rosan Roeslani, who left the post in July 2023. 

As Indonesia tries to lobby over Trump’s import tariffs, experts fear that the vacancy might affect Jakarta’s bargaining power. Dino Patti Djalal, who was Indonesia’s US envoy in 2010-2013, felt that Indonesia needed to appoint its ambassador as soon as possible. His criteria? Dino said that the seat should go to someone who knows how to tackle economic-related issues and is good at lobbying. It also doesn’t matter if this person is not a career diplomat as long as they fit the criteria. 

“I don’t think there are major political challenges in Indonesia-US ties, it is mostly on the economic side. Whoever gets picked must maintain the trust between the two countries. Because it’s not just us, other nations are trying to approach Washington to make a deal,” Dino told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday evening.

The new faces in Trump’s administration will become another challenge that the next US envoy needs to navigate. “Career diplomat or not, it should be someone who is good in diplomacy and understands the situation on the ground. A problem solver. … Someone who can maintain and build new relationships [with Trump’s government officials],” Dino said.

He later claimed that Former President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo actually already had someone in mind to serve in the US. He even admitted to being a “friend” to Jokowi’s ambassadorial candidate, whose name he did not disclose. “However, Prabowo already has other candidates, so that’s why the seat has remained vacant for so long. … Different president, different preferences,” Dino said.

Jokowi appeared to have favored those knowledgeable in international trade as his economic diplomacy went on full swing, particularly in his second term. 

In 2019, Jokowi installed Mahendra Siregar for a short-lived ambassadorial tenure in the US. Mahendra was the deputy minister for trade and finance under Jokowi's predecessor Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He used to handle economic affairs in the Indonesian Embassy in London. Mahendra left Washington DC in October 2019, but his successor Muhammad Lutfi only took over the role almost a year later. Lutfi once helmed Indonesia’s investment coordination agency, and had also run some businesses. Lutfi was only Indonesia’s US envoy for about three months. Rosan Roeslani, another seasoned businessman, finally took up the baton in October 2021. Again, his ambassadorship only lasted until July 2023. An ambassador usually serves for between three and four years.

As Trump’s tariffs loom, calls are mounting for Prabowo to pick someone who is a great negotiator as his US envoy. 

“It should be someone well-versed in economic diplomacy. Every day that goes by without an Indonesian ambassador in the US, the weaker our bargaining power gets. We will lose momentum, opportunities, and control,” economist Andry Satrio Nugroho said, commenting on the impact of the vacant ambassadorial post on the tariff negotiations. 

Just last month, Prabowo officially inaugurated 31 new Indonesian ambassadors, some of whom are not even career diplomats. As a case in point, PDI-P politician  Junimart Girsang got picked to represent Indonesia in Italy. Ex-Constitutional Court Judge Manahan MP Sitompul also assumed the ambassadorial post in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Prabowo’s foreign minister pick -- Sugiono -- is also not a career diplomat himself. Sugiono was the deputy chairman of the House of Representatives’ First Commission in 2019-2024. This commission is responsible for overseeing foreign affairs and defense matters. Like Prabowo, Sugiono was an ex-military man. He is also a high-ranking official in Prabowo's Gerindra party.