Playing with BRICS fire

Lula with Prabowo (right) at the G20 summit. The Indonesian president believes his government can reap economic benefits from BRICS, although the international community perceives it as a group driven by political, rather than economic interests. — AFP

WITH the official acceptance of Indonesia as a full member of the economic grouping BRICS on Jan 7, President Prabowo Subianto is one step closer to realising his ambition to make Indonesia an influential player at the global level.

Nothing is wrong with such an aspiration, given that Indonesia is the world’s 16th largest economy, third largest democracy and fourth most populous nation, whose voice deserves respect.