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February 5, 2025 | 05:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Executive Director of Research at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Shafiah F. Muhibat, said the free and active principle is often used to shield Prabowo’s foreign policies, including BRICS membership.
According to Shafiah, Indonesia’s longstanding non-aligned position is a flexible one, but it is now used as a justification for any foreign policy the government plans to adopt. “It is used as one-for-all reasoning,” Shafiah told Tempo during a virtual focus group discussion (FGD) on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Shafiah urges the government to employ a grand strategy as a basis to shape its foreign policy, to avoid any surprises that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must straighten up after.
"The ministry has had to make clarifications several times in less than 100 days. It appears that their work is all about clarifying previous decisions,” she said.
In connection with this, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arif Havas Oegroseno asserted that Prabowo’s administration will continue to prioritize the non-aligned principle.
"Indonesia does not have a neutral position, but a free and active policy,” Havas told Tempo at the ministry office on Friday, January 17.
Unlike the non-alignment principle, Arif explained, the neutral principle has a different meaning. In the context of international relations, the neutral principle refers to a non-partisan stance, especially in the context of war.
On the other hand, the former Indonesian Ambassador to Germany explained that the non-alignment principle refers to an independent position, unrelated to other parties, that allows Indonesia the freedom to seek partner countries and determine foreign policies without having to participate in the decisions of an alliance.
The detailed direction of Indonesia's foreign policy is discussed in the special edition of Tempo Magazine on the first 100 days of President Prabowo's work, which will be published this week.
Tempo revealed Prabowo’s dominance over foreign policy and diplomacy, as he tends to be reluctant to welcome suggestions in foreign affairs. Decisions taken by Prabowo without thorough consideration often cause turmoil, both domestically and internationally.
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