Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is on a four-nation trip in Africa this week, including a pivotal stop in Johannesburg's financial district of Sandton where he will become a guest at the summit of an economic bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, known as BRICS.

Indonesia reportedly wants to join BRICS along with more than 20 other countries such as Argentina, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The government has neither denied nor confirmed such reports.

China and Russia are in favor of membership expansion of BRICS to enhance the group’s global leverage and counter Western economic competition. This expansion also aims to balance against the Group of 7, another significant economic alliance.

Yet, both countries are currently in deep trouble.

A report by CNN on Tuesday described that the economic growth in China is stalling, “consumer prices are falling, a real estate crisis is deepening, exports are in a slump, and unemployment among youth has gotten so bad the government has stopped publishing the data”.

Russia has been under severe global economic sanctions since its invasion of Ukraine in February last year.

The crisis in Russia goes beyond economic woes, as the country is getting more isolated with the conflicts worsening and Ukraine getting the upper hand thanks to modern arms supplies from the West.

Even President Vladimir Putin himself cannot attend the BRICS Summit in person after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him for alleged war crimes. 

South Africa is a signatory of the court’s treaty and would be obliged to arrest Putin if he set foot on its soil, reported AP.

Indonesia’s potential membership will require consensus from other BRICS countries namely Brazil, India, and South Africa.

If accepted, Indonesia will find itself in a tricky situation as part of a group that increasingly becomes a forum against Western domination. 

Indonesia now relies heavily on the West to modernize its defense. On Tuesday, the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with aircraft maker Boeing on the purchase of 24 F-15EX fighter jets. 

The crucial procurement hinges on approval from the US government and any indication of Jakarta’s closer ties with the Putin regime could jeopardize this.

Last year, the Jokowi government signed a deal on the purchase of 42 Rafale fighter jets from France, which openly supports Ukraine in its ongoing conflict with Russia.

From an economic standpoint, joining BRICS will not make a big difference because Indonesia maintains mutually beneficial relationships with each BRICS member bilaterally.

China is one of Indonesia’s biggest trading partners and is currently investing heavily in mining industries, energy, and transportation in Indonesia.

Deputy Trade Minister Jerry Sambuaga has suggested that joining BRICS will allow Indonesia to expand export markets to “non-traditional destinations” in Africa and Latin America. 

But there is no specific impediment that will prevent Indonesia from doing so bilaterally.

What is really at stake is the geopolitical consequences if Indonesia joins a group whose member has just waged a war against its own neighbor.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, President Jokowi did an excellent job to convey Indonesia’s tireless pursuit of global peace and friendship when he subsequently met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin, following his attendance at the G7 Summit in Germany.

President Jokowi is also a proud defender of the non-aligned movement inspired by the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung. While BRICS has repeatedly maintained its stance as a bloc focusing on economic and social cooperation, the current geopolitical situation makes it difficult to overlook its anti-West sentiments.

There is no compelling reason for President Jokowi to pursue an immediate membership of BRICS.