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December 18, 2024 | 04:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto departed for Egypt on Tuesday morning, December 17, 2024, despite the prevailing myth that Indonesian presidents who visit the Land of the Pyramids face political downfall.
Accompanied by Gibran Rakabuming Raka and several cabinet members, Prabowo took off from Halim Perdana Kusumah Air Force Base. “This visit will be the first state visit by the President of the Republic of Indonesia to Egypt since 2013, meaning an 11-year gap,” he said a few minutes before hitting the runway.
Prabowo's visit to Cairo extends beyond a typical bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. He will also represent Indonesia at the D-8 Summit, where he will assume the rotating leadership of the organization starting January 1.
D-8, established in 1997, is an economic cooperation and development organization comprising eight developing countries: Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Turkiye, and Pakistan.
The belief that Indonesian presidents who visit Egypt face political downfall, has long cast a shadow over trips to the Nile.
Soekarno the first president of Indonesia, visited Egypt six times: in 1955, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1964, and 1965. His final visit to Egypt in June 1965 was followed by his ouster three months later during the G30S/PKI coup.
The second president, Soeharto, also faced political turmoil after his visits to Egypt in 1977 and 1998. His second visit to Egypt in 1998 occurred amidst growing public dissatisfaction with his leadership. Riots erupted, and the authorities resorted to increasingly violent suppression of demonstrations.
Despite this, Soeharto departed for Cairo on May 9, 1998, to attend the G-15 Summit. This trip proved to be his last as head of state. He cut short his visit and returned to Indonesia, where he resigned on May 21, 1998, amidst escalating political pressure.
His successor, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, did not visit Egypt as president. However, he visited the country twice as Minister of Research and Technology, in 1995 and 1997.
President Abdurrahman Wahid alias Gus Dur visited Egypt twice: in 2000 for the G-15 Summit and in February 2001 for the D-8 Summit. Two months after his second visit, Gus Dur was impeached by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
The myth did not materialize for Megawati Soekarnoputri and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono or SBY. Megawati visited Egypt from September 12-14, 2002, while SBY visited in 2004 to attend the funeral of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and again in 2013 to attend an OIC Summit.
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