Academic explains how Indonesia’s beef with Singapore may hurt its reputation with the global community

SINGAPORE: An academic argued in a Nov 12 piece for an Australian think tank and research institute that while the increasingly unfriendly rhetoric in Indonesia may win authorities points on a domestic level, it could be damaging in the long run, especially in terms of its reputation with other countries.

The article, written by Trystanto Sanjaya, a Visiting Fellow at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs in Oslo, is titled Indonesia’s Spat with Singapore Is Hurting Its Own International Credibility.

Mr Sanjaya noted the increasingly confrontational rhetoric of the administration of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto may come at the risk of damaging investor confidence and trade relations.

The President had promised before coming into power that Indonesia would maintain good relations with neighbouring countries. This, he said, would attract foreign investment, create jobs and open up markets as relationships were kept strong.

Over the past month, however, several high-profile officials have made confrontational statements or taken actions involving Singapore, Mr Sanjaya pointed out. This includes the reduction of natural gas supplies to Singapore, which had been announced by Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadali.

While the reason for cutting the supply to Singapore is to ensure Indonesia’s domestic needs are met, and it had been previously scheduled for a later date, the minister mentioned that Indonesia would stop exports to countries that do not respect it, which raised questions about political motivations.

Additionally, Communications Minister Meutya Hafid had said   that if undersea internet cables between Indonesia and Singapore were cut, 80% of Singapore’s digital connectivity could be debilitated, which Mr Sanjaya wrote was a “statement that one could interpret as a slight threat.”

The academic also brought up the issue of transboundary haze, in light of notices being issued to 10 companies with operations in Indonesia. This year’s haze, stemming from forest and peat wood fires in Borneo and Sumatra, has been the worst in over a decade.

Mr Sanjaya noted that the Indonesian president took issue with the countries he believes to have insulted Jakarta due to the forest fires, despite responsible companies being based there.

However, he wrote that the President’s approval rating had steadily fallen from 81.2% to 44.5% in October 2026, and added that portraying foreign countries as disrespectful towards Indonesia could help him win back some domestic support.

Nevertheless, a hostile attitude could damage Indonesia's international reputation, as foreign investors look for stable and predictable business environments.

“It is hard to see any benefits from such spats with Singapore. 

International credibility rests, among other factors, on trustworthy foreign policies and behaviour, as well as strong governance and contractual capabilities. A loss of international credibility could make it harder to attract foreign investment and build modern industries that Indonesia needs for its economic growth and development, as foreign investors highly value economic and political predictability and stability to ensure their operations can run with minimal hindrance,” wrote Mr Sanjaya. /TISG

Read also: Indonesia says diplomacy with Singapore ‘must not stop’ amid bilateral tensions