Indonesia has been busy recently in a number of international events. First, Jakarta hosted the East Asian World Economic Forum from June 12 to 13. Second, the incumbent President Yudhoyono attended the International Labour Organization Conference in Geneva on June 14 and delivered a keynote speech on the so-called Indonesian success in managing labors' affairs and industrial relations during the 2008 Financial Crisis. Third, after his Swiss visit, the president traveled to Japan for a state visit to boost Japan-Indonesia relations.
These diplomatic activities seem to mark Indonesia's increasing achievements and strategic importance in international politics. However, the development of Indonesian foreign policies needs to be confronted by realities at home. In a small town in East Java, a mother was criticized by her community after she revealed the scandal of school-sponsored cheating at her son's school. Corruption scandals involving one of the functionaries of the president's party tarnished the reputation of the government. Lastly, Ruyati, an Indonesian domestic worker, was sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia without receiving a proper trial and legal assistance from the Saudi Arabian and Indonesian governments.
The irony is that all of these things happened while Indonesia is promoting an image of an economically vibrant and politically democratic nation, when at the same time the state has not been able to promote the basic needs of its citizens nor protect them from coercion.