SBY calls on RI ambassadors to be “agents of change”

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 02/23/2012 1:52 PM A | A | A | - Klipping The Jakarta Post

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met on Thursday with hundreds of diplomats, including 85 ambassadors and 28 consuls general stationed in 88 countries, to deliver his directives on bolstering Indonesia’s diplomacy.

The President told the diplomats to be confident, smart and effective when maintaining Indonesia’s political stance in international forums.

“Be confident, have a global view, know your mission, be achievement-oriented, and always be ready, active, and creative,” the President told the diplomats.

Yudhoyono also warned that all ambassadors, as well as other high-level state officials, needed to have the same perspective when it came to making statements in foreign countries.

“Don’t let two ambassadors make contradictory statements because that will confuse both allies and enemies, although we don’t have any enemy. If you make statements that are not in line with the President’s policy, that will be embarrassing,” he said.

Several Cabinet members also attended the meeting, including Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Defense Minister Purnomo Yosgiantoro, Cabinet Secretary Dipo Alam and Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi.

“Our ambassadors need to play roles of agents of change who are capable and anticipative in pushing forward positive global change,” Marty said on the sidelines of the meeting.

The meeting was held at the Pancasila building in the Foreign Ministry complex where, last week, Yudhoyono met with 128 foreign envoys assigned to Indonesia.