Jokowi elevates eight women into new Indonesian national ministry

By Ross B Taylor

Indonesia’s new president Joko (‘Jokowi’) Widodo has this week announced his new national cabinet that will have the responsibility for over 245 million people, including 205 million Muslims - to our immediate north.

Whilst the new line-up may not initially attract much attention here in Australia, it may just raise a few eyebrows in diplomatic circles and amongst women’s interest groups.

Firstly, the president has appointed its first-ever woman as foreign minister with Ms Retno Marsudi replacing the popular and highly respected Marty Natalegawa with whom Australia’s foreign minister Julie Bishop had forged a close working relationship since assuming office.

Ms Marsudi is a career diplomat having served in Australia from 1990-1994 as the Indonesian Embassy’s Information Secretary based in Canberra. More recently, Ms Marsudi has been her nation’s ambassador to The Netherlands based in The Hague.

Within Indonesia, Ms Marsudi is well regarded although considered to lack ‘intense’ foreign experience, and will probably follow the existing line of, “Many friends and no enemies”; a policy that soon may be tested thanks to Australia’s ongoing ‘turn-back-the-boats’ policy.

As to whether Ms Bishop will be able to forge a close rapport with Indonesia’s new foreign minister remains to be seen, but there is no reason why these two clever and articulate women – who first met only recently- cannot build a close and beneficial relationship as the region faces a range of complex challenges.

Secondly, and of significant interest to women generally, is that when Ms Marsudi sits down at the national cabinet table, she will have seven other women sitting down with her. And several of her colleagues – including two very questionable appointments - will hold significant roles within the national government, including health, state-owned enterprises and the very senior role of  co-ordinating minister for people’s welfare, that has gone to the widely despised Puan Maharani, the daughter of Indonesia’s former president – and leader of the party who backed Jokowi’s election bid - Megawati Sukarno Putri.

It is hard to escape the irony of a county such as Australia - where over recent weeks so much has been written and said about ‘Muslims’ and how women who follow the Islamic faith are ‘suppressed’ and ‘restricted’ in how they dress, say and do – having only one woman in the national cabinet, whilst our neighbour, that is home to the world’s largest population of Muslims, has just appointed eight women to their new cabinet.

One wonders if coalition back-bencher, Kelly O’Dwyer and WA’s firebrand high-performer, Senator Michaelia Cash, sat with their morning coffee recently reading of the new Indonesian cabinet appointments whilst sporting a wry smile upon their faces.

So what challenges will the the Abbott government face in its relations with Indonesia following the announcement of the new cabinet under President Joko Widodo?

Under the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) Indonesia was, despite the occasional ‘bumps’, able to forge a generally positive relationship with Australia. SBY understood Australia well and his son studied at Curtin University. But more importantly, SBY had a genuine interest in foreign affairs and he would often override his foreign advisers based on his own view of the region and the world.

Jokowi, whilst no stranger to the wider-world including Australia, will be far more focused on internal domestic issues as Indonesia faces some major challenges including poverty alleviation, corruption and the $25 billion a year bill for subsidising fuel.

Jokowo’s lack of depth in foreign affairs will see his trusted advisors including  Luhut Pandjaitan, who surprisingly missed-out on a post, and the director of the influential Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Rizal Sukma thrust into developing key policy advice on international issues. Both men are experienced and pragmatic operators where ‘nationalistic sentiment’ often gets short thrift.

The problem will be however, that Luhut and Sukma don’t now have SBY at the helm, but rather a new and ‘less internationally interested’ president, and this may lead to challenges for the bi-lateral relationship with Australia as Indonesia struggles to clearly define its role and policies in the region.

Within Jokowi’s ministries and the legislature, the nationalistic voice will be stronger than previously, remembering Jokowi holds a minority of seats in the national parliament and mixed support within his own party.

An early test of the relationship with Australia may come if further asylum seeker boats are turned back to Indonesia by Australian authorities. Fortunately, the quick action of immigration minister Scott Morrison to deal with the ‘boat people’ issue before SBY completed his term, has resulted in boat arrivals to Australia virtually stopping and importantly, the flow of asylum seekers entering Indonesia, as a major transit point, dropping dramatically. This has been a significant windfall for Indonesia, although they are unlikely to concede this point.

For Ms Marsudi and Ms Bishop, the role of China in the region will need to be high on the agenda. And here is where Australia and Indonesia need to walk the same delicate path between the politically important US relationship and our economic reliance on China.

Australia and Indonesia are unlikely neighbours, but we need each other for security, economic development and counter-terrorism just for starters. The role that our two female foreign ministers play in this sometimes awkward relationship will be critical to the stability and progress of the region.

In the meantime, back in Australia our PM may be feeling just a little malu that our nearest neighbour has just demonstrated how important women are, in not only business, but in running a nation.

Ross Taylor is President of the Indonesia Institute.