You know what to do when facing bullying or extortion. Say no and fight back. Because when such a bully or extorter finds out how weak and afraid you are, they will come back and ask for more.
That’s what happened to Indonesia in dealing with Donald Trump. After returning to the White House, President Trump quickly imposed a 32 percent tariff on Indonesian goods exported to the US. Instead of standing tall, Indonesia trembled, sent a high-ranking delegation, and begged for mercy.
The result? Not only did Trump not ease the burden, he doubled down. The tariffs rose to 47 percent, and with them came a list of outlandish demands that had little or nothing to do with trade.
One such demand: that Indonesia accept 1,000 Palestinians from Gaza. It sounds charitable at first glance. But behind this proposal lies a sinister political maneuver. For a country that has consistently stood for Palestinian independence on Palestinian land, this is nothing short of humiliation. Accepting such a condition is akin to endorsing the permanent displacement of Palestinians from Gaza. It’s like asking Indonesia to help Israel erase Gaza from the map. And yet, Trump, with his characteristic arrogance, dared to frame it as a gesture of goodwill.
Another outrageous condition: Indonesia must scale back its use of the local payment system, QRIS, which allows seamless local digital transactions. Why? Because, according to Trump, it hurts US financial giants like Mastercard and VISA. Never mind that QRIS is a proud symbol of Indonesia’s financial innovation and sovereignty. In Trump’s world, any challenge to American corporations’ dominance is treated as an act of hostility.
But the demands didn’t stop there.
Indonesia was also asked to ease regulations on data localization laws so that American tech companies could freely transfer and store Indonesian citizens’ data on US servers. Essentially, Trump demanded a backdoor to Indonesia’s digital sovereignty, enabling American firms to harvest, mine, and monetize local data without the scrutiny or control of the Indonesian government.
Another pressure point: the pharmaceutical sector. Trump insisted that Indonesia extend patent protections on US pharmaceuticals and restrict its own generic drug production. The move, if accepted, would make life-saving medicine more expensive for millions of Indonesians—just to appease US Big Pharma.
And let’s not forget Trump’s veiled threat: delay your green energy transition. American oil and gas companies, Trump claimed, were being unfairly excluded from Indonesia’s energy roadmap. He suggested Indonesia “balance” its energy policy, which is code for allowing more fossil fuel contracts from US oil giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron.
Indonesia’s economy, environment, and even foreign policy have been placed under threat by a man whose playbook is clear: extort, intimidate, then reward submission.
But why is Indonesia bending?
Because it forgot the cardinal rule: Never entertain a bully.
Donald Trump has always thrived on fear. If a nation stands up, he blinks. But if it bows, he tightens the grip. Countries like Canada, Mexico, and even China have learned to negotiate with caution, not cowardice. They retaliate when needed. They build alliances. They don’t send emissaries to grovel.
By entertaining Trump’s extortion, Indonesia not only risks economic pain, but moral compromise. We are a nation founded on principles—including the sacred constitutional mandate to support all colonized peoples in their struggle for freedom. Accepting the Palestinian resettlement proposal would betray that mandate. Yielding to pressure to drop QRIS or relax data privacy laws would betray our digital sovereignty. Giving Big Pharma the keys to our health sector would betray the sick and the poor.
President Prabowo, who promised strength and sovereignty, now faces a moment of truth. Will he draw a line? Will he tell Trump that Indonesia is not for sale?
This isn’t just about trade. It’s about dignity.
And Trump? He must be reminded: Indonesia does not kneel. Not to tariffs, not to threats, and certainly not to transactional politics masquerading as diplomacy.
Indonesia must stop this spiral before it deepens. It must build stronger South-South cooperation, diversify its trade partners, and revisit its dependence on US markets. Strategic realignment may not be easy, but appeasement will cost us far more.
Never negotiate from fear. And never reward extortion. That’s how nations preserve not just their economy—but their soul.
