Judul : Reading Indonesia's Diplomatic Steps Through BRICS
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Reading Indonesia's Diplomatic Steps Through BRICS
When President Prabowo Subianto appeared on the podium of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6, 2025, the public not only witnessed diplomatic applause. The scene marked a moment when Jakarta positioned itself in a new global power axis without needing to abandon its foreign policy doctrine of free and active neutrality.
Behind the ceremony, there is a silent struggle for meaning, namely who has the right to be the voice of the "South," who is categorized as the "center," and who collects the diplomatic dividends from these labels.
Dominant Narrative
Every multilateral forum has the potential to produce a discursive field in which states compete to fill the "meaning-giver" seat.
In this landscape, Indonesia is trying to shift the BRICS discussion's gravity from mere anti-West rhetoric towards the stage of development financing, energy transition, and international institution reforms.
This strategy marks an effort to establish a new dominant narrative---a discourse hegemony---in which commitment to economic justice and inclusiveness is treated as a new benchmark for legitimacy.
By including the keywords "green infrastructure justice" and "cooperative security architecture" in the final communique, Jakarta is not just speaking; it is offering a new definition of BRICS success in the eyes of other developing countries.
As long as the definition is accepted, Indonesia can obtain a position as a reference center for discussions, without having to bear the burden of the BRICS label as a confrontational bloc.
Framing Opponents Flexibly
Foreign policy is inseparable from the line of "us" versus "them." Prabowo has tried to avoid the rigid East-West dichotomy that has always haunted BRICS rhetoric until now.
Instead, Indonesia tried to create a more fluid antagonism, namely: "equal development" versus "structural inequality."
Dalam bingkai ini, Uni Eropa bisa menjadi mitra transisi karbon, Amerika Serikat sebagai rekan investasi semikonduktor, sedangkan BRICS menyediakan jalur pendanaan alternatif.
With issue-based antagonism, Indonesia manipulates the landscape of allies and adversaries that can be adjusted according to the topic. Rivals can become partners in other projects, thus keeping diplomatic maneuvering space open. This is the art of "rowing between many rocks" in the multipolar era.
The label "Global South" functions as an elastic marker, that is, a loose container that enables issues such as nickel processing, food sovereignty, and solidarity with Palestine. These issues can be arranged in a chain of equivalence.
The government can also attach domestic programs, such as: the battery factory in Morowali, the food dam in Kalimantan, and the Nusantara maritime connectivity into this narrative pocket.
The result is twofold. Abroad, Indonesia presents itself in line with the BRICS spirit without needing to adopt extreme de-dollarization rhetoric. Within the country, the public sees a straight line between diplomacy and prosperity. BRICS means roads, electricity, and fertilizers.
This chain of meaning will eventually determine whether public support can endure when the project's promises face technical challenges.
Of course, the dominance of discourse is never absolute. BRICS itself is influenced by various interests that often intersect.
China-India border dispute, Russian sanctions, Brazil's fiscal priorities, or South Africa's ESG standards are just some of the issues within BRICS. As a result, the marker of "inclusive development" risks cracking if member countries prioritize their unilateral agendas.
Indonesia has just joined, playing the role of a balance. Indonesia offers an issue-based leadership mechanism. This mechanism allows rotating leadership based on issue clusters. The purpose is clear: to prevent one actor from dictating the entire policy package.
If this mechanism is accepted, Jakarta will not only secure its seat at the table, but also ensure that the discourse map remains plural, making a harmful single hegemony difficult to materialize.
Frontline Discursive Strategy
Before detailing the technical steps, one important thing needs to be remembered regarding the sustainability of hegemonic discourse, which is more dependent on its ability to combine material achievements with symbolic resonance.
Without them, the "equal development" narrative will quickly be replaced by competing stories that offer more tangible results. Some of these steps include:
1. Concrete the Return
Hegemonic narratives can persist as long as they can be proven. The government needs to openly release a USD 5 billion NDB pipeline—project locations, loan terms, labor impact. Transparency ensures that the marker "equal development" does not collapse and becomes mere slogans.
2. Maintaining Parallel Forums
By continuously pursuing OECD access and deepening IPEF, Indonesia emphasizes that BRICS is a "complementary" diplomatic space, not a single negotiation arena. This step is believed to be able to curb any actor's attempt to monopolize the narrative within BRICS.
3. Building a Subnational Coalition
Involving local governments, MSMEs, and labor unions in the BRICS-Indonesia Outreach forum. A broad coalition could strengthen the immunity of the dominant discourse against attacks from political opposition elites or accusations that the policies only benefit extractive industry cronies.
4. Smoothing Antagonism
The term "global justice" must be balanced with a commitment to sustainable business practices, so that it is not merely perceived as a shield for protectionism. Collaborating on ESG certifications with European institutions can reduce the potential for tariff retaliation. This also demonstrates that antagonism towards inequality is not an enduring enemy, but rather a catalyst for policy dialectics.
Indonesia's entry into BRICS is a long-term strategic bet. As long as Jakarta is capable of managing flexible indicators, nurturing adaptive antagonisms, and negotiating hegemonic space without locking itself into one bloc, the opportunities for economic and political benefits remain wide open.
However, failure could show real results or the submersion of Indonesia's voice in the clamor of rivalry among old members, which might erode this grand narrative and leave only traces of skepticism in the public.
Diplomacy today is not merely about exchanging memoranda of understanding, but about competing to control the diplomatic tables. Indonesia is writing a new chapter to fill that diplomatic table.
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