April 12, 2026 | 04:29 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Indonesian ambassador to the United States Dino Patti Djalal has urged President Prabowo Subianto to prioritize Southeast Asia and strengthen Indonesia’s role within ASEAN.
“Indonesia should become more actively involved in managing our backyard in Southeast Asia,” Dino said in an Instagram post titled “3 Reality Check for President Prabowo’s Diplomacy” on April 10.
Dino said there is a growing perception that Prabowo is more focused on the global stage than on ASEAN. He pointed to the president’s early overseas visits after taking office, which he said departed from Indonesia’s diplomatic tradition.
“In contrast to Indonesia’s diplomatic tradition, his first visits as president were not to ASEAN countries, but to China, America, the UK, Peru, Brazil, the Emirates, Egypt, and others,” he said.
Over the past 18 months, Dino noted, only four of Prabowo’s 49 foreign visits were to Southeast Asian countries, namely Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and Singapore. He added that a planned visit to Timor-Leste, which holds political and historical significance for Indonesia, has yet to materialize. “Prabowo visits the Middle East and Europe much more often than ASEAN,” Dino said.
Dino also criticized Indonesia’s limited response to regional issues, including tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as the situation in Myanmar. He said the reduced prominence of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), a framework initiated by Indonesia, in Prabowo’s diplomacy has raised concerns among regional partners.
“The perception that Indonesia is indifferent to ASEAN could harm Indonesia’s reputation and credibility in the world, especially considering Indonesia’s limitations in the international arena,” he said.
Dino argued that Indonesia’s influence in broader geopolitical conflicts, such as potential tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, remains limited. “Therefore, Indonesia needs to recalibrate by prioritizing the Southeast Asian stage,” he said.
He emphasized that while Indonesia cannot control major powers in regions such as the Middle East, Europe, or Africa, it can help shape dynamics within Southeast Asia if ASEAN remains united. “In a chaotic world where almost all countries in Southeast Asia are affected, ASEAN must stand together,” he added.
Dino pointed to the upcoming ASEAN high-level conference in Cebu in May as a key opportunity to reaffirm Indonesia’s regional leadership. “The ASEAN HLC in Cebu will be a crucial moment to show that Indonesia is back in ASEAN,” he said.
According to Dino, Indonesia should push ASEAN to take a leading role in maintaining regional stability, including by advancing negotiations on a South China Sea code of conduct and preventing external intervention and conflict.
He also called on Indonesia to help ease tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, address the crisis in Myanmar, and strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat to bring the organization closer to its people and enhance regional resilience.
Dino further noted that the next ASEAN secretary-general will come from Indonesia, making it crucial for the country to nominate a strong and independent candidate. “Not a mediocre one, and the Indonesian candidate for secretary-general should not be positioned as a subordinate of the Indonesian president, but dedicated to ASEAN as a whole,” he said.
He concluded that Indonesia does not need to act as the “tiger” of ASEAN, but rather as the “engine” that strengthens Southeast Asia’s resilience in an increasingly uncertain global landscape.
Read: Prabowo Says He Wants Pencak Silat to Compete in the Olympics
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