JAKARTA — Stronger RI-India relations are seen as opening a new path for Indonesia’s people-based economy. Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar said India is a strategic market that could create greater room for Indonesian products, investment, and talent.
He made the statement in Jakarta on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a bilateral meeting between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Merdeka Palace. For Muhaimin, stronger RI-India ties are not merely a diplomatic matter. What is at stake is market access, job opportunities, and stronger competitiveness for small business players.
A big market means wider opportunities
Muhaimin stressed that India holds strategic market value for Indonesia. The reason is simple. India’s population is said to exceed one billion people, while its economy continues to grow.
With a scale that large, the Indian market offers substantial opportunities for Indonesian products. Consumer goods, MSME products, services, and young talent could find new room if trade channels and cooperation between the two countries become smoother.
“India is a very strategic market for Indonesia. The stronger the relationship between the two countries, the greater the opportunity for our people’s products to enter the international market,” Muhaimin said in his statement.
He added that the benefits of the relationship must not stop at the negotiating table. The government, he said, must ensure that the results of diplomacy are truly felt down to the grassroots level. “This is not only about trade between countries, but also about opening wider space for the people’s economy to grow,” he said.
RI-India ties and their direct impact on society
At this point, the impact becomes clearer. If access to the Indian market opens wider, Indonesian MSME players have the chance to find new buyers beyond the domestic market. That is important, especially for small businesses that have long depended on local purchasing power.
The ripple effects could spread further. When exports increase, production demand also rises. As production grows, the need for raw materials, labor, and distribution moves as well. From there, job opportunities emerge. Not only in big cities, but also in production regions.
Muhaimin said the economic diplomacy pursued by President Prabowo must be translated into real benefits. He emphasized four areas that must also be encouraged: broader market access, increased investment, job creation, and stronger human resource capacity.
“When the government succeeds in opening access to global markets, the next task is to ensure that people are able to take advantage of those opportunities. This is the meaning of empowerment: bringing greater opportunities so people can grow, move up, and improve their welfare,” Muhaimin said.
Why the Prabowo-Modi meeting matters
The bilateral meeting between Prabowo and Modi at the Merdeka Palace sent a strong political signal. India is no ordinary partner. The country has economic weight, a very large domestic market, and growing influence in Asia.
In Indonesia’s context, closer ties with India could help expand export markets while also attracting fresh investment. If the trade engine moves, the sectors most likely to feel it first are small and medium industries, logistics, and skilled labor.
Stronger RI-India ties also carry strategic value for Indonesia’s position in the global market. As trade competition intensifies, access to a populous country like India could become a differentiator. Indonesian products cannot just be good. They also need a gateway.
For that reason, Muhaimin’s remarks can be read as a push for foreign diplomacy to go beyond symbols of friendship. There must be concrete results. There must be new orders, new investors, and new job opportunities. Otherwise, good relations will remain ceremonial.
In the next 7 to 30 days, follow-up talks on RI-India economic cooperation are likely to continue focusing on sectors that can deliver quick impact, such as trade, investment, and broader market access for MSMEs. If the political understanding built at the elite level is translated into technical agreements, small businesses could see early results sooner than expected.
Muhaimin closed by stressing that stronger RI-India relations must also bring benefits to Indonesians. “The stronger the relationship between the two countries, the greater the opportunity for our people’s products,” he said.
📝 Leave a Comment
Comment as . Reviewed by an admin before it appears.