INDONESIAN FOREIGN POLICY A Wounded Phoenix

Abstract

On 16th August 2004, Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri gave the annual presidential state address to Indonesia's Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, its House of Representatives. As it was, this turned out to be her final appearance in that role since five weeks later she was decisively defeated in the run-off presidential election by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. In her speech documenting the achievements of her stewardship of the republic, little reference was made to foreign policy. This was understandable given the critical political and economic domestic crises facing the Indonesian leadership. The event that was singled out in her brief allusion to foreign affairs was telling, however, signalling as it did the assertion of a re-emergent regional leadership role for Indonesia. The touchstone for the claim was the 9th ASEAN Summit held in Bali in October 2003, where she said,