Breaking with diplomatic convention<\/p>\n
Uly Siregar, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Cutting through the traffic on his 20-year-old Vespa, broad smile
\nout front, suit jacket and tie trailing behind, Kirk Coningham
\ncuts an unconventional figure for a senior diplomat.<\/p>\n
The \"CD\" plate on the Vespa is the only giveaway.<\/p>\n
Dispensing with convention became a signature of his approach
\nto diplomacy during his four-year posting as public affairs
\ncounselor at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta from 2000 to 2004.<\/p>\n
A passionate advocate of diplomacy, the 42-year-old father of
\ntwo spurned the traditional niceties of diplomatic society,
\nseeking instead to connect with Indonesia at a more fundamental
\nlevel.<\/p>\n
Through public diplomacy he sought to engage with ordinary
\npeople rather than the elite of traditional diplomacy.<\/p>\n
The unconventional plan of engagement of the former military
\nofficer-turned-diplomat delivered rapid results.<\/p>\n
\"I arrived in the wake of the East Timor crisis to be told
\nthat, given the hostile climate, there was little I would be able
\nto accomplish. But I soon found talking with journalists, taxi
\ndrivers and people on the street gave me a clear understanding of
\nthe genuine feelings of Indonesians on the issue,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"I found them to be angry about the Australian policy, but
\nequally anxious to play the role of welcoming host. The warmth I
\nwas shown quickly dispelled the caricature I had formed of the
\nimplacable Javanese. The open friendliness of the people I was
\nmeeting encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and
\nexplore.\"<\/p>\n
The policy of open engagement, which included a strategy of
\nsaying \"yes\" brought a series of rapid challenges. Coningham's
\nfirst test of his rudimentary language skills was to co-host the
\nopening of the Sydney Olympics on Indonesian TV.<\/p>\n
\"It's tough to do three hours of commentary on the opening of
\nthe Olympics when you don't even know the Indonesian for 'Olympic
\ntorch'.\"<\/p>\n
Other challenges followed quickly, including being asked to
\nperform poetry readings and singing and playing Waltzing Matilda
\non Indonesian TV as a last-minute replacement.<\/p>\n
During the people-smuggling crisis Coningham also successfully
\nused the Indonesian media in a deliberate campaign to raise
\nawareness of the evils concerned.<\/p>\n
The campaign included traveling to remote fishing villages to
\nwarn fishermen of the dangers of becoming involved in people-
\nsmuggling. Again, the campaign was based on understanding, not
\naccusation.<\/p>\n
Using the slogan \"Don't become a victim\" the program sought to
\neducate, not admonish.<\/p>\n
After the Bali bombings Coningham became the Australian
\ngovernment's spokesperson and also a staunch supporter and
\nadvocate of the work of the Indonesian authorities in the
\ninternational media.<\/p>\n
When stories of the harassment of Indonesian Muslims in
\nAustralia emerged in the wake of the Bali bombings, Coningham's
\nsimple solution was to take the Indonesian media to Australia \"so
\nthey could see for themselves how ridiculous the stories were.\"<\/p>\n
The result included a broadcast in Indonesia of Idul Fitri
\ncelebrations in Australia beamed back on the same day via
\nsatellite. The model was quickly adopted in subsequent years by
\nother Western embassies.<\/p>\n
Coningham has drawn on his understanding and experiences of
\nIndonesia to put together a top-selling collection of short
\nstories based loosely around his experiences in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Many of the stories in this collection were first published in
\nThe Jakarta Post's Sunday edition, including his first-ever
\npublished story, The Ojek Driver.<\/p>\n
\"In some ways the stories are a reflection of my approach to
\nmy work as a diplomat in Indonesia: keep it honest and open,
\nstrip away the fancy language -- normally designed to conceal,
\nnot reveal -- and get immediately to the heart of the issue,
\nwhether it be the human emotion that drives my short stories or
\nthe honesty that is fundamental to quality relationships between
\nnations,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"The language I use in these stories is deliberately simple.
\nJust as cocktail parties don't necessarily make for good
\ndiplomacy, complicated language doesn't necessarily make for good
\nstory-telling.<\/p>\n
\"The biggest compliment comes when people say how easy the
\nstories are to read. A radio announcer compared the book to the
\nwonderful Chicken Soup for the Soul ... but perhaps this is more
\nlike instant noodles,\" Coningham said.<\/p>\n
The collection, titled The Expat and Other Stories, is
\navailable in the city's best bookstores. The book comes ahead of
\nthe release of Coningham's first novella -- a ghost story also
\nset in Jakarta -- which is due to be published later this year.<\/p>",
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