Public Expectations on the G20 Presidency
For the public, there are at least four important agendas that the government believes can be pushed.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and President Joko Widodo (L) of Indonesia greet during a meeting at the Royal Splendid Hotel in Rome, on October 30, 2021, as part of the G20 summit.
The public welcomes Indonesia’s G20 Presidency this year. People hope the government can take advantage of this opportunity for the benefit of the nation. This social support needs to be used as government capital to push for the national agenda at the G20 forum.
The government's efforts to familiarize the narrative of Indonesia's G20 presidency have been successful. Although the G20 seems elitist, not a few people know about it and are enthusiastic about Indonesia's position in the forum. This public enthusiasm that has poured into hope was caught in the results of the Kompas Research and Development poll in mid-January 2022.
More than three quarters of respondents believe that Indonesia is able to promote national interests while leading the G20. Interestingly, the high level of public enthusiasm is evenly distributed across all walks of life.
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The lower and upper classes both have high hopes for the Indonesia G20 Presidency. The highest support is seen in the lower class of society (80.79 percent) and upper class (75.86 percent) group.
For the public, there are at least four important agendas that the government believes can be pushed. These four agendas are handling the pandemic, economic recovery, quality of democracy and state security.
In fact, around 12 percent are very confident in the government's ability to defend national sovereignty in this event.
The security issue is the most prominent. The results of the poll show that more than 80 percent of respondents believe the government can further ensure the integrity and sovereignty of the nation with its strategic position in the G20. In fact, around 12 percent are very confident in the government's ability to defend national sovereignty in this event.
Confidence plus expectation of the people in terms of state security and sovereignty deserves to be understood. Several times, Indonesia’s sovereign territory has been violated by foreign-flagged ships. Those incidents also disturb fishermen who make a living.
Therefore, the G20 forum might be used by the government to talk about the importance of maintaining state sovereignty. China, which has violated Indonesia's borders several times, is also a member of the G20.
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Furthermore, the second agenda that got high attention was economic recovery. Although the progress has been positive, it cannot be denied that the economic situation has not recovered 100
percent like in the period before the two-year pandemic. Not surprisingly, 73 percent of respondents believe in the government's ability to accelerate economic recovery through the G20 presidency.
Economic agenda
This public confidence is not excessive. This is because, before finally discussing various issues, such as the environment and international security issues, the G20 is essentially a forum that is thick with economic dimensions. Throughout history, the role of the G20 in the world economic order has been increasingly felt when crises hit. For example, in 2008/2009, the G20 was appreciated for being able to move quickly and coordinate to resolve the Subprime Mortgage crisis.
President Joe Biden hosts an event about global supply chains during the G20 leaders summit, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021, in Rome.
The G20 is an extra-national group that is crucial in the global economic map. It is responsible for 80 percent of economic output and 75 percent of global exports in 2020. The G20 also represents about 60 percent of the world's total population. Thus, each decision can have a big impact.
The handling of the pandemic is also something that is seriously monitored by the public. As much as 72 percent of the public believe that the Indonesian government is able to take advantage of the G20 forum to improve the handling of the pandemic.
In fact, almost 10 percent of them believe that this opportunity can help Indonesia to deal with the pandemic. Public confidence is in line with the agenda prepared by the government.
Of the three selected by Indonesia as a priority issue, one of them is related to global health architecture. In this section, Indonesia seeks to invite member countries to work together in handling the Covid-19 pandemic.
Public engagement
In contrast to other agendas, public confidence about the democracy issue to be pushed at the G20 forum is relatively low. The poll shows that only 60 percent of respondents believe Indonesia's important position in the G20 forum can improve the quality of democracy in the country. In fact, more than a third of the respondents are unsure of the government's ability and will in this regard.
Infographic: Poll on G-20 by Kompas R&D
This tendency is in line with the democratic climate in Indonesia, which still has flaws. This status is assigned by both The Economist (category of flawed democracy in the Global Democracy Index) and Freedom House (category of partial democracy).
The issue of democracy is sensitive in the G20 forum, considering that not all members are democratic. However, this does not mean that the government cannot change the public's view on this matter. One way is to involve the public in the government's agenda regarding the G20 presidency.
The results of the poll show that more than 81 percent of respondents agree with the importance of public participation. (KOMPAS R&D)
(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo)
