As a diplomat, Alwi served tenures in several embassies, including in Bern, Vienna and Manila. He became disillusioned with Sukarno’s dictatorial tendencies. He controversially settled in Kuala Lumpur at the height of Indonesia’s “Konfrontasi” with Malaysia where he engaged, using a pseudonym, in a broadcast to lambaste Sukarno. Alwi played a role in easing political tensions between Indonesia and Malaysia in the 1960s by approaching then Malaysian prime minister Tun Abdul Razak.