New president, new vision: Subianto advocates for ‘non-aligned, self-sufficient’ Indonesia

Let’s break his speech down and discuss what’s on the horizon for a Republic of Indonesia under Subianto’s leadership.

The eighth president of Indonesia was inaugurated at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on 20 October. Subianto had previously run for election in 2014 and 2019 before winning, with at least a 60 per cent vote in February this year.

The election win marks the start of a five-year term for the former military general and minister of defence, alongside newly elected Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo.

“We will lead the government of the Republic of Indonesia, the leadership of the nation and the people of Indonesia with sincerity, put the interests of all people of Indonesia first, including those who did not vote for us,” President Subianto said in a speech before the plenary session of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia on 20 October.

“We will put the interests of the nation of Indonesia, the people of Indonesia, above all else – above all groups, and certainly above our own.

“The challenges, obstacles, hindrances, and threats we face as the nation of Indonesia amidst global dynamics and turmoil are no easy task.

“I always urge my fellow citizens to be a courageous nation, a nation unafraid of challenges, a nation undismayed by threats.

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“In terms of international relations, Indonesia chooses a ‘free and active’, non-aligned approach. We do not want to join any military pacts; we choose the path of friendship with all countries. I have repeatedly stated that Indonesia will carry out foreign policy as a country that wishes to be a good neighbour, we want to be the good neighbour. We want to follow the ancient philosophy, ‘A thousand friends are too few, one enemy is too many.’

“Thus, we want to be friends with all countries. However, we have principles. Our principle is the principle of anti-colonialism, because we have experienced colonialism. We are against oppression, because we have been oppressed. We are anti-racism; we are anti-apartheid, because we have experienced apartheid.

“That is why we have a principle: we must be solidary; we must defend the oppressed peoples of the world.”

From his own comments, such as a “free and active, non-aligned approach” and to resist “the challenges of outside forces”, it would appear that the newest Indonesian leader is likely to tread the line finely between the US and China alignment, rather than throwing his weight behind one side or the other.

The Southeast Asian country would rather wait for a foreseeable winner to surface between the two great military and industrial powers before pledging their support, effectively joining the bandwagon at the last moment.

On the surface, this could be considered a savvy choice, after all, no one wants to be caught on the losing side of future conflict engulfing the entire Indo-Pacific region. However, not choosing a side does, in fact, come with significant risk. A non-aligned country does not readily benefit from the industrial might and investment of Chinese backers (and the more favourable conditions such publicly aligned investment might be rewarded with).

Unaligned countries may also be given less-favourable defensive support from either the established Western alliance or the emerging Chinese-led BRICS group.

Make no mistake, Subianto, a former commander-general of the Special Forces Command (Kopassus) is no beginner to military strategy and there will be significant backup plans being developed within Indonesia to fortify its own infrastructure and behind-the-scenes negotiating internationally with both alliances.

Subianto was involved in a number of military operations in Indonesia, West Papua, and East Timor. It seems likely he will push inward to develop Indonesia as a more self-sufficient country to resist incoming conflict in the region and become a more attractive partner to join either alliance in the future.

“I have declared that Indonesia must achieve food self-sufficiency immediately. We must not rely on other countries for our food supply. In times of crisis, in urgent situations, no one will permit us to purchase their goods,” he said.

“There is no other option; within the shortest possible time, we must achieve food resilience. We must be able to produce and meet the food needs of all people of Indonesia. I have studied this alongside experts who assist me, and I am confident that within four to five years at the latest, we will achieve food self-sufficiency. On top of that, we will be prepared to become a global food estate.

“We must also be self-sufficient in energy. In the face of tensions, in times of possible war everywhere, we must be prepared for the worst possible outcome: other countries must put their own interests first. If something we do not want happens, we will find it hard to obtain energy sources from other countries. Therefore, we must be self-sufficient in energy and we have the capacity to achieve this.

“God has bestowed upon us with plants that enable us to be independent of other nations, such as oil palm, which can produce diesel oil and gasoline. We also have other plants such as cassava, sugar cane, sago, corn, and so on. We also have enough underground, geothermal energy. We have a huge amount of coal. We have a huge amount of hydro-based energy … the government that I lead will be focusing on achieving energy self-sufficiency.”

A self-sufficient Indonesia can more easily pick its battles in terms of diplomacy by becoming less reliant on defensive assistance from the US and Australia should the military expansion of the People’s Republic of China head further south.

The new president’s inauguration ceremony was attended by 19 heads of state and government, as well as 15 special envoys from international nations.

Dignitaries attended the ceremony from the Philippines, Cambodia, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Vanuatu, China, Lao, Vietnam, the Russian Federation, Qatar, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Germany, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, Jordan, Japan, Italy, Canada and France.

At a minimum, this should signal potential diplomatic interest from multiple angles.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles also attended the inauguration in Jakarta to represent Australia. The Deputy PM and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have previously hosted the new Indonesian leader during an official visit to Australia in August this year.

“There is no relationship more important to Australia than our relationship with Indonesia. Our two countries are working closely together in shaping a peaceful, stable, and prosperous region that is respectful of sovereignty,” Deputy PM Marles said.

“The Australian government looks forward to working closely with President Prabowo and his new administration on shared economic, security and human development priorities.”

In closing his inauguration speech, Subianto focused on the need to end corruption in Indonesia for the benefit of the general public.

“Some of the great challenges we face come from outside forces, but we must acknowledge – we must have the courage to admit – that many challenges, many difficulties, and many obstacles arise from within ourselves,” he said.

“There are challenges and difficulties that occur because we are not vigilant, because at times we are not capable or skilled enough in managing our own wealth.

“Let us have the courage to reflect on ourselves, let us have the bravery to face our own shortcomings, and let us boldly commit to improving ourselves. Let us be courageous in correcting our own faults.

“We must confront the reality that there are still far too many leaks, abuses, and instances of corruption in our country.

“There are too many of our people living below the poverty line, too many of our children who go to school without having breakfast, and too many of our children who have no clothes to wear to school. Many of our citizens cannot secure decent jobs. Many of our schools are neglected. Ladies and gentlemen, we must have the courage to acknowledge all of this, and we must have the determination to resolve these issues.

“With strict law enforcement and digitalisation, God willing, we will be able to significantly reduce corruption. But we have to do this; all elements of leadership must set an example.

“All high-ranking officials, from the echelons and at all levels, must set an example of clean government leadership. We need to start with examples from the top and after that, strict and firm law enforcement.

“All of us must believe and have faith that we have the capacity to eliminate poverty from the Indonesian soil. This is a challenging goal and many even say that it is impossible.

“Let us build Indonesia upon the foundation laid by our predecessors. Let us learn all the shortcomings, recognise them, and correct them.

“We are ready to work hard towards a Golden Indonesia, a strong, independent, sovereign, just and prosperous nation. We do not want to disturb anyone. We do not want to disturb other nations, but we will also not allow any nation to disturb us.”

Final thoughts

Indonesia has its own internal problems to solve, with corruption, distribution of resources to citizens and the pathway to a more self-sufficient future.

Following the lead of many nations in the Indo-Pacific, the country is pursuing a “hedge your bets” strategy to weather the incoming stormy power struggle between the People’s Republic of China and the United States of America. Time will tell whether this was a good approach to the increasingly “hot” Indo-Pacific strategic environment.