Mahendra Siregar

It is generally the practice in Indonesia to refer to a person using their first name and the person should be referred to by the first name, Mahendra

Mahendra Siregar
Indonesian Ambassador to the United States
Assumed office
April 2019
PresidentJoko Widodo
Deputy foreign minister
Assumed office
25 October 2019
PresidentJoko Widodo
Personal details
Born (1962-10-17) 17 October 1962
Jakarta, Indonesia
NationalityIndonesian
Spouse(s)Ita Siregar
Alma materUniversity of Indonesia
Monash University, Melbourne
OccupationDiplomat and economist

Mahendra Siregar (born in Jakarta on 17 October 1962) is the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States.[1] On 25 October 2019 he was appointed as the deputy minister of foreign affairs supporting Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi in the second Jokowi cabinet appointed two days earlier on 23 October. Earlier, he had been appointed as Ambassador to the US by president Joko Widodo in 2018. He had taken up his post in Washington DC in early 2019.[2] Mahendra is a respected economist in Indonesia who has held various senior positions within the Indonesian bureaucracy.

Early life

Mahendra Siregar's family background is Sumatran. His parents are from the Angkola group, part of the Batak people from South Tapanuli in North Sumatra, and from the Minangkabau group in West Sumatra. He is married to Ita Siregar.

Mahendra undertook tertiary education, first, at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. He later graduated with a Masters in Economics from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, in 1991.[3]

Work with government

A brief summary of Mahendra Siregar's work with government is as follows:

  • 1986: joined the Indonesian Department of Foreign Affairs as a young staff member.
  • 1992-1995: Third Secretary (economic), Indonesian Embassy, London, United Kingdom.
  • 1998-2001: Information Counsellor, Indonesian Embassy, Washington DC, United States.
  • 2001: Staff member, Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Jakarta, including duties as a special assistant to Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs in the Megawati administration.
  • 2005-2009: Deputy Minister for international economic and financial relations, Coordinating Ministry for Economics and Finance, working successively to ministers Aburizal Bakrie (2005-2006), Boediono (2006-2008), and Sri Mulyani Indrawati (2008-2009) who were Coordinating Ministers for Economic Affairs during this period.
  • 2009: Deputy Minister for Trade, working with Mari Elka Pangestu, Minister for Trade.
  • 2011-2013: Deputy Minister for Finance.
  • 2013-2015: Chair, Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal, or BKPM).[4]
  • 2018: Appointed Indonesian ambassador to the United States.
  • 2019: Deputy minister of foreign affairs supporting Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi.[5]

Following Mahendra's appointment as deputy minister of foreign affairs in October 2019, it was reported that President Jokowo had indicated that he should take on two main tasks: concluding trade negotiations with the United States on specific matters, and taking steps to support the Indonesian palm industry. Outlining his duties to the media, Mahendra noted a US review of Generalized System of Preferences was underway and that Indonesia's involvement would need immediate attention. A successful outcome, he observed, could lead to a doubling of Indonesia's trade with the US within five years. Mahendra said that his second main task would focus on "neutralizing the EU's unfriendly position" on the palm oil industry in Indonesia. Earlier in the year, in March, the EU had decided to phase out the use of palm oil by 2030 because of deforestation concerns. Indonesia planned to engage the EU on the policy.[6]

A short time later, in early December 2019, Mahendra took steps to voice concern on behalf of Indonesia about the way that the narrative about palm oil issues in Indonesia was presented in the international media. In response to a report aired on international CNN reports entitled "Borneo is burning: How the world's demand for palm oil is driving deforestation in Indonesia", Mahendra claimed that the report was not constructive and provided a false narrative. He noted that the Indonesian government was taking steps to address the problem and that the Indonesian government's efforts should receive international support.[7]

Other positions

Other positions which have been held by Mahendra Siregar include the following:[8]

References
  1. Indonesian Embassy, United States, 'The Ambassador', accessed 17 October 2019. Indonesian Embassy, United States, 'Ambassador Mahendra Siregar Handed Over Letter of Credentials to President Donald Trump', The Jakarta Post, 10 April 2019, accessed 17 October 2019.
  2. Marguerite Afra Safiie, 'Envoys told to boost economic diplomacy', The Jakarta Post, 8 January 2019.
  3. OECD, 'Mahendra Siregar', Report from the 2010 OECD Council at Ministerial Level, Paris, May 2010.
  4. Linda Yulisman, 'Mahendra new investment boss', The Jakarta Post, 15 September 2013. An interview with Mahendra Siregar following his appointment as Chair, BKPM, is at 'Growing domestic investors offer more brass ring to foreigners', The Jakarta Post, 3 February 2014.
  5. Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, Gisela Swaragita and Riza Roidila Mufti, 'Jokowi expands coalition with new deputy ministers', The Jakarta Post, 26 October 2019.
  6. Marchio Irfan Gorbiano, 'Mahendra to focus on US trade negotiation, palm oil as Deputy foreign affairs minister', The Jakarta Post, 25 October 2019.
  7. 'Indonesia calls CNN report on palm oil-driven deforestation "absurd"', The Jakarta Post, 5 December 2019.
  8. Some details of additional positions, and other activities undertaken by Mahendra, are at Melia Istighfaroh, 'Mahendra Siregar', TribuneNews, 18 October 2019.
  9. See additional details at the Antam website.
  10. Bank Mandiri Annual Report 2018, p. 128.
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