Indonesia had formally applied to join BRICS and was one of the 23 countries that expressed their desire to be a part of the bloc. However, the alliance inducted only six countries and left out the other 17 nations. The six new countries inducted into BRICS are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, and Ethiopia.
So why was Indonesia left out of BRICS, and what made the alliance keep the application pending? In this article, we will explain the reasons why Indonesia was left out of being inducted into BRICS at the 15th summit in Johannesburg.
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BRICS: Why Was Indonesia Left Out?
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo said days before the summit that the country does not wish to “rush” membership despite formally applying to join the bloc. Many diplomats advised the government against entering the alliance without knowing the benefits it offers beforehand. It is reported that diplomats suggested Widodo wait until all policies are in place. They advised the government not to join before the process, where guidelines are yet to be framed.
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The sudden turn of events suggests that Indonesia is not ready to take the plunge into challenging the U.S. dollar. The Widodo administration wants to observe how things play out and not get entangled in geopolitics right from the start.
“It is not really surprising, since many analysts and former diplomats had already warned against joining BRICS and the economic benefits are not clear and apparent, while the political and economic cost due to the backlash from the West are quite certain,” said Radityo Dharmaputra, a lecturer at the Department of International Relations at Universitas Airlangga to Al Jazeera.
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Yohanes Sulaiman, a lecturer in international relations at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani in Bandung, said that Indonesia wants to see “results” before joining the bloc. “We have yet to see any real results from BRICS, other than as a grouping to counter the United States. There doesn’t seem to be any concrete progress being made,” he said.
The writing on the wall was clear: BRICS would not induct Indonesia as it didn’t align with its goals. BRICS is now an 11-nation member, and Indonesia is not a part of it.