By : Windu Lestari )*
After the success of holding the G20 Presidency, Indonesia is ready to take control of the chairmanship of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2023. The government has also made every effort to organize the event so that it runs successfully and smoothly.
The President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo accepted the ASEAN chairmanship relay from Cambodia to become the Chair of ASEAN in 2023 on 13 November 2022. With Indonesia’s chairmanship in ASEAN, Indonesia will host the 2023 ASEAN Summit which will be held in Tanamori, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
The period of Indonesia’s chairmanship in ASEAN lasts for one year, starting from 1 January to 31 December 2023 which shows the regional region’s trust in Indonesia to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic growth in ASEAN amid the world’s recovery conditions after the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the same time, the ASEAN Chair Summit (Summit) in Indonesia provides opportunities and demonstrates Indonesia’s strategic role in strengthening the capacity and institutional capability of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly in forming a regional order based on multilateralism and values – the value of inclusivity.
As the host for the chairmanship of The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) 2023, Indonesia nominated the theme ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth which means that Indonesia wants to make ASEAN remain important and relevant to the ASEAN community and the world.
The Chair of ASEAN Indonesia 2023 on the Priority Economic Deliverables (PEDs) track raises 3 strategic pillars namely, Rebuilding Regional Growth, Connectivity, and New Competitiveness (recovery rebuilding) (1), Accelerating Inclusive Digital Economy Transformation and Participation (digital economy) (2), and finally Promoting Sustainability Economic Growth for a Resilient Future (sustainability) (3).
In the opinion of Retno Marsudi as Minister of Foreign Affairs at the ASEAN National Secretariat Coordination meeting some time ago, Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2023 this time must be able to continue the positive tradition of Indonesia’s chairmanship in the previous year. This is because the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been successful in becoming a locomotive for peace and prosperity in the region for more than 50 years.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs emphasized that the role of this locomotive can only be carried out if all member countries unite and if ASEAN maintains its neutrality. For this reason, consolidation between and between ASEAN pillars must be intensified in order to be able to produce deliverables and a leadership legacy that is useful and can provide benefits to the people of Indonesia, ASEAN, and the world.
Furthermore, Indonesia will also hold meetings in various regions and levels, be it senior officials, ministers, experts, or youth. Finally, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, he hoped that this event could bring benefits and that the socialization and dissemination of information about Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2023 could run more optimally. Retno Marsudi said, I hope this event will bring great and positive benefits to us, society and the country.
The 2023 ASEAN Summit is supported by several sectors such as the Police to PT PLN (Persero).
The Head of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Police Inspector General Johni Asadoma Together with the Head of Traffic and Traffic Police Inspector General Firman Santyabudi have reviewed the facilities and infrastructure of the 2023 ASEAN Summit. This visit is to ensure the progress of the Tanah Mori MICE venue development project which will be used at the 2023 ASEAN Summit Summit in May 2023 which will be future.
While the destinations visited included Komodo Labuan Bajo Airport, Sudamla Labuan Bajo Hotel, Ayana Labuan Bajo Hotel, Meruorah Labuan Bajo Hotel and the Tanah Mori Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) area.
The MICE area, which is equipped with a beach club , observation deck , and a wooden pier, is planned by the Government of Indonesia to become one of the venues for a series of activities at the ASEAN Summit in May.
In addition, the PT PLN (Persero) sector, the Main Unit for the East Nusa Tenggara Region, has prepared as many as 100 units of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU) to support the implementation of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo.
Fintje Lumembang as General Manager of PLN UIW NTT said PLN provided 100 units of SPKLU to serve 275 units of electric cars that transported delegates and cars for security and operational vehicles as well as 105 units of motorcycles for patrols and escorts.
The General Manager of PLN UIW NTT added in his statement, his team together with Senior Specialist PLN Central Distribution Joko Priharto and a team from the central PLN had also carried out scale checks at SPKLU installation points and the readiness of other supporting infrastructure in the field.
With the success of the 2023 ASEAN Summit series, it increasingly shows that Indonesia has a strategic role in leading the regional architecture that can concretely provide benefits to regional and global communities and make the ASEAN region the world’s engine of sustainable growth .
For this reason, let us support Indonesia’s chairmanship for ASEAN by upholding the value of solidarity with a spirit of optimism and cooperation, by building multi-stakeholder collaborative governance to ensure the success of the 2023 ASEAN Summit which can bring benefits to the people of Southeast Asia and the world.
)* The author is an International Relations student living in West Java
