Jakarta – “This pandemic shows the resilience of Indonesia’s diplomacy machine for the protection of Indonesia,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi in her speech at the Hassan Wirajuda Protection Award (HWPA) ceremony that was held on December 18, 2020.
“The complexity of the challenges posed by restrictions on movement and health and safety risks has not dampened the efforts of all elements of Indonesian diplomacy, both in Indonesia and Indonesian Missions, to remain ready to protect,” said Retno Marsudi.
At the HWPA 2020 ceremony, which was held in a hybrid form, Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi extended Indonesia’s gratitude and appreciation to protection activists and stakeholders for their role, dedication, and hard work in protecting Indonesian nationals abroad.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi conveyed 3 important matters related to the protective steps taken by the Government during the pandemic.
First, this pandemic has created an unprecedented situation in its efforts in the protection of Indonesian Citizens. The Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasized that the situation on the field during the pandemic has been very complex, where mobility limitations often threaten lives.
“While the government is faced with a surge in COVID-19 confirmed cases among Indonesian nationals … non-COVID cases such as employment, immigration, criminal, and civil cases must also be taken care of,” said Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi.
Second, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the resilience of the protection mechanisms in all Indonesian Missions. The Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasized that even though the situation has been difficult, all Missions have made themselves available in handling cases involving Indonesian Citizens.
The Government, through the Indonesian Missions, strives to assists Indonesian nationals affected by COVID-19, even if it means getting into a red zone area. Assistance has been provided in the form of basic food aid packages, as well as repatriation and evacuation facilities.
Third, Minister for Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi conveyed the views and projections of the protection diplomacy ahead.
“We still need to anticipate that COVID-19 will not completely disappear in the coming years,” she said. As such, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is committed to encouraging the development of a Protection System for Indonesian Nationals that can continuously adapt to the current needs and challenges.
On this occasion, the Minister for Foreign Affairs also conveyed that the capacity and readiness of the Government need to be improved, especially to respond to the needs of Indonesian nationals abroad, such as strengthening the resources, data collection, and the use of digital technology.
At the 6th HWPA, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs awarded 23 recipients in 8 categories, namely the Head of the Indonesian Missions, the Staff of the Indonesian Missions, the Partners of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Partners of the Indonesian Missions, Overseas Civil Society, Public Service at Indonesian Missions, Local Government, and Journalists/Media.
The recipients have contributed directly to the issue of protecting Indonesian citizens abroad, especially protecting them during the global COVID-19 pandemic throughout the year of 2020.
Of the 85 candidates, the Jury determined 23 winners of the 2020 HWPA as the following:
In the category of the Head of the Indonesian Missions:
1. Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun (Indonesian Ambassador in Beijing)
2. Ambassador Umar Hadi (Indonesian Ambassador in Seoul)
3. Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro (Indonesian Ambassador in New Delhi)
In the category of the Staff of the Indonesian Missions:
1. Dyah Retno Andrini (Home Staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Rome).
2. Andri Noviansyah (Home Staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Damascus)
3. Esther Rajagukguk (Home Staff of the Indonesian Consulate General in Penang)
4. Suseno Hadi (Labor Attache of the Indonesian Embassy in Amman)
5. Sigit Setyawan (Immigration Technical Staff of the Indonesian Consulate General in Los Angeles)
6. Tantan Rahmansyah (Local Employee of the Indonesian Embassy in Lima)
7. Amphorn Sanafi (Local Employee of the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok)
In the category of Overseas Civil Society
1. Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Tamkeen (Civil Society in Jordan)
2. Alex Ong (Migrant Care Malaysia Coordinator) RI Representative Partner Category
In the category of the Partners of the Indonesian Missions:
1. Yulia Purnaning Dyah (Partner of the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow)
2. Suparman Totong (Partner of the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo)
In the category of the Public Service at Indonesian Missions
1. Indonesian Embassy in Seoul
2. Indonesian Embassy in Hongkong
In the category of Partners of the Indonesian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
1. The Operation Staff of the Headquarters of the Indonesian Armed Forces (SOPS MABES TNI)
2. Task Force for the Acceleration of the Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic
In the category of Regional Government
1. Margototo Village, East Lampung Regency, Lampung
2. Bringin Village, Ponorogo Regency, East Java
3. Dukuh Dempok Village, Jember Regency, East Java
In the category of Journalist/ Media
1. Sonya Hellen Sinombor (Kompas Journalist)
2. Abraham Utama (BBC Indonesia Journalist)
As of December 18, 2020, 2,283 Indonesian nationals overseas were contracted with the COVID-19 virus, of which 1,562 people were declared cured, and 161 people died. The number of cases of Indonesian nationals abroad handled by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs this year reached 43,000 cases. This is a sharp increase from 2019, which only recorded 24,465 cases.
Several important protection missions were successfully carried out by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs during the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the distribution of more than 500,000 aid packages for Indonesian nationals worldwide; the facilitation of the return of 26,791 Indonesian crew members to Indonesia; and the repatriation of 1,114 Indonesian nationals members of Jamaah Tabligh from 13 countries.
The Hassan Wirajuda Award for Protection of Indonesian Nationals is the highest award given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia to individuals and institutions considered to have a significant contribution to the protection of Indonesian nationals abroad. The assessment was carried out based on several criteria including “having extraordinary achievements” and “making efforts beyond a call of duty.”
The nomination of the award recipients was carried out openly by involving the media, civil society, Indonesian nationals abroad, and the public. The adjudication process was conducted by 9 judges, consisting of national figures with various backgrounds, such as human rights activists, senior journalists, academicians, and international legal experts.
It includes the nomination stage, public survey, and field survey. In 2020, the adjudication and verification process took 3 months to complete. Virtual verification was carried out for candidates abroad, while site visits were carried out on domestic candidates.
Source: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs
