AS Indonesia kicks off its maiden presidency of the high profile G20 on Dec 1, the heat is on for President Joko Widodo to prove he is a force to be reckoned with, observers said.

Known to shy away from foreign policy, he had stepped out of his comfort zone last month to speak at the G20 summit in Rome, and then at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland.

He told world leaders that Indonesia, as G20 host, would encourage joint efforts for global economic recovery.

He also vowed to tackle climate change in his country through forestry and land use to achieve a net carbon sink by 2030.

Judging by his upbeat remarks back home, Jokowi - as he is better known in Indonesia - was pleased.

“I felt there was something different in those meetings, compared with previously.

“There were so many requests for bilaterals from other countries.

“Whether I was sitting or standing, the leaders approached me, and they were from big countries,” he said.

“We have to start building self-confidence, a sense of optimism as a leading nation.”

The G20 appears to be top on his mind, even as he zipped through the country to launch new roads and dams.

“The world will look at us, so our ability to control the pandemic is really being tested,” he told the Covid-19 task force.

If Jokowi’s focus in the first term of his presidency was domestic issues, a priority in the second term would be to bring in foreign investments.

After all, he has envisioned Indonesia as a high-income country in 2045, observers said.

“He is a very efficient leader and does not want to travel internationally if there is no benefit for Indonesia,” Indonesian Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo said.

“But he realises that Indonesia must be open and build communication with other nations because when Indonesia commemorates 100 years of its independence (in 2045), the aim is to get out of the middle-income trap,” he added.

In the coming year, Indonesia will host 150 meetings across the country, ending with the G20 leaders’ summit on the resort island of Bali in October.

South-East Asia’s largest economy is also preparing to host as chair of Asean in 2023.

Jokowi has made it clear that growing external interest in Indonesia will lend support for its development objectives.

Still, he must deliver on his international promises and priorities, said Dr Teuku Rezasyah, a lecturer in international relations at Padjadjaran University.

He suggested that Jokowi create a task force to solely manage the G20, headed by a veteran diplomat who reports directly to him.

“As head of G20, he needs to do a lot of shuttle diplomacy and webinars with top leaders of the world and assign the right people to represent him to deal directly with foreign governments,” he added.

 - ANN