Prabowo aide defends president’s foreign trips

JAKARTA – A senior Indonesian official launched the government’s most detailed defense yet of President Prabowo Subianto’s frequent trips abroadfending off growing criticism from politicians, diplomats and international media over the costs, scale and priorities of his world travel diplomacy.

In a nearly seven-minute video posted on the official Cabinet Secretariat YouTube channel on June 1, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya responded point-by-point to concerns raised by former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal and other critics.

The detailed rebuttal marks the first time a senior government official has directly responded to criticism of Prabowo’s foreign travel, which has intensified as Indonesia grapples with a weakening rupiah and broader economic uncertainty.

Since taking office in October 2024, Prabowo has visited at least 29 countries in more than 50 overseas engagements, attracting the attention of critics who question whether the president has spent too much time abroad as domestic challenges mount.

Teddy argued that the trips had brought tangible benefits to Indonesia, from investment flows and trade deals to strengthening defense ties and support for Palestine.

Dino posted a video on Instagram on May 30 urging Prabowo to significantly reduce his foreign travel, arguing that the frequency of his trips was becoming difficult to justify.

He argued that Prabowo’s trips abroad were unusually frequent and raised concerns about costs, saying a presidential trip could cost hundreds of billions of rupees once transport, accommodation, logistics and security expenses are taken into account.

“Since taking office, the president has spent about one in six days abroad, so it is understandable that some would consider this unusual,” Dino said.

He also suggested the president make more use of video calls and delegate more diplomatic missions to Foreign Minister Sugiono.

In his June 1 response, Teddy thanked Dino for his “very thorough and structured” contribution before noting that the veteran diplomat had only served as deputy foreign minister “for about three months.”

Teddy, a former military officer who previously served as an aide to former President Joko Widodo and Prabowo when he was defense minister, is widely considered one of the president’s closest aides, frequently traveling alongside him on foreign visits and major diplomatic engagements.

Responding to concerns about costs, Teddy said: “Any excess costs from the state budget are entirely borne by President Prabowo himself. »

Teddy also dismissed suggestions that the president traveled with oversized delegations, saying the number of officials accompanying Prabowo had been reduced by more than half compared to previous administrations.

“In the past, more than 120 people could go abroad at the same time. During Pak Dino’s era, it was like that. During President Prabowo’s era, this number was at most between 50 and 60 people.”

Reactions to the saga have been mixed. After Teddy’s response on June 2, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician Andreas Hugo Pareira called Dino’s comments constructive criticism meant to strengthen the government, saying they deserved to be considered.

Gerindra vice president Habiburokhman, however, dismissed the remarks as unproductive and unfair, arguing that Prabowo must remain proactive in engaging world leaders amid growing global uncertainty.

Global developments are becoming more dynamic, Teddy said, noting that it was impossible to plan all foreign visits a year in advance.

Dismissing suggestions that the trips were merely “show and ceremony”, he said: “We need to look at what has been achieved over the last year and a half. »

Among them, he said, were Indonesia’s membership in BRICSthe conclusion of long-standing trade negotiations with the European Union and investment flows worth some Rs2.43 trillion (S$174 billion) over the past 18 months.

Teddy said his recent trips abroad had already yielded concrete results, highlighting investment commitments worth around 575,000 billion rupee following Prabowo’s visits to Japan and South Korea in late March.

He also cited expanded defense partnerships with countries including France, the United States, Russia, China and Britain, as well as progress in arrangements for Indonesian haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Regarding Palestine, Teddy highlighted Indonesia’s humanitarian efforts, including the delivery of aid, a hospital ship and scholarships for Palestinian students.

There was also the return of Indonesian activists in May, after being arrested by Israel following an attempt to break the blockade of Gaza, an attempt he said was achieved through public and behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

“All this is the diplomacy that President Prabowo has carried out through various means, both public and private, because what matters most to us are concrete results,” he said.

The debate over Prabowo’s travels has intensified in recent weeks amid growing questions about the administration’s priorities as Indonesia grapples with a weakening rupiah, an energy cost crisis, slowing economic momentum and regulatory uncertainty.

Criticism also came from politicians and foreign policy observers, who questioned whether the goals and outcomes of some foreign trips had been clearly communicated to the public.

Among them was a politician from the PDI-P opposition Mohamad Guntur Romli, who argued that Prabowo’s recent visit to France had received limited attention from French media and highlighted critical coverage of the trip.

“While Indonesian media and official government accounts highly glorify President Prabowo’s state visit to Paris, French media almost ignored it,” Guntur said in a May 31 Instagram post.

“One of the most influential media in France: Le Monde has just published a harsh criticism of Prabowo’s economic policy.”

He was referring to a May 22 article published by the French newspaper titled “Indonesia: President Prabowo’s interventionism causes market turbulence,” which examined investors’ concerns over a series of economic policy interventions by the Indonesian government.

While welcoming the criticism, Teddy said the public debate should not overlook what he sees as the administration’s accomplishments.

“We are certainly open to any input,” he said, “but we should not obscure the facts about any results we have achieved.”