Foresaking high paying job paid off for Carrick<\/p>\n
By Prapti Widinugraheni<\/p>\n
Ambassador Roger J. Carrick is ending his term as head of the
\nBritish mission in Indonesia this month. The ambassador granted a
\nrequest for an interview with The Jakarta Post to discuss his
\npersonal background and to reminiscence about his four year term
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Had British Ambassador Roger J. Carrick accepted
\na job at the British Petroleum, Unilever or Shell 30 years ago,
\nhe would not have experienced the exciting ups and downs of being
\na diplomat. Nor would he have achieved his dreams.<\/p>\n
Looking back today, Carrick has no regrets that he forsook
\nhigh paying jobs to join the British Foreign Service.<\/p>\n
\"I had wanted to get into foreign service since I was 16 or
\n17 ... and I was lucky enough to pass the exam,\" he recalls,
\nadding that he applied at the three companies \"in case I didn't
\nget into diplomatic service\".<\/p>\n
He has since worked in Bulgaria, Paris, Singapore and three
\ndifferent places in the United States.<\/p>\n
Carrick, 56, made his first encounter with Indonesia four
\nyears ago. Although it was his first time in the country, he
\nclaimed he was not surprised at the atmosphere.<\/p>\n
\"I found no difficulty in adjusting because I had been in
\nSingapore some 20 years ago. I also did a lot of background
\nreading before coming here,\" he says. So thorough was his reading
\nthat \"even the traffic jams were no surprise\".<\/p>\n
Carrick, who will be moving on to Australia later this month,
\nfeels there was one thing he wasn't quite prepared for --
\nsomething he felt his successor should also remember.<\/p>\n
\"Study the language,\" he said firmly.<\/p>\n
A former student of Slavic languages, Carrick considers he has
\nnot studied Bahasa Indonesia enough. \"..saya mencoba bicara...,\"
\nhe said in carefully spoken, but understandable, Indonesian.<\/p>\n
He said he struggled through the lowest level of British
\nForeign Service examinations in Bahasa Indonesia after doing a
\ntwo-week course in Yogyakarta. \"So I have qualifications in the
\nlanguage, even if it's a low one,\" he added modestly.<\/p>\n
During his term in the country, Carrick has been especially
\nimpressed by Indonesia's beauty and diversity, everything from
\ngeography to culture and even standard of living.<\/p>\n
His most memorable experiences in the country includes an
\novernight journey by sea from an island in Sulawesi to Pulau
\nMangole in Maluku, flying by helicopter to the glaciers of Puncak
\nJayawijaya in Irian Jaya, and walking along sand and coral-lined
\nstreets on the island of Banda in Maluku. \"The tropical sunsets I
\nsaw do not even appear in the tourist literature of Bali,\" he
\nrecalls.<\/p>\n
Carrick, who has traveled to 20 of Indonesia's 27 provinces,
\nadds to his list of memorable experiences a visit to the ancient
\nBritish Fort Marlboro in Bengkulu and a submarine trip under the
\nJava Sea during the British naval visit to Surabaya. \"I can't
\nstop talking about the physical side of the country. It is just
\nsplendid,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
On the diplomatic side, however, he tells of an experience
\nthat would be most unforgettable to any sensitive diplomat.<\/p>\n
\"The day of the tragedy of Dili on Nov. 12, 1991, is one I
\nshall never forget. That was a very sobering memory indeed.\"<\/p>\n
But, like any other residents of Jakarta, he also has his
\nleast memorable experiences \"Sitting in interminable macet-
\nmacet,\" he says of the city's traffic jams.<\/p>\n
\"It is most interesting to see and be a part of Indonesia's
\ngrowth in economy,\" Carrick says about his post here.<\/p>\n
He notes there have been important changes taking place in the
\ncountry during his tenure, \"which means one has to adjust to
\none's previous perception\".<\/p>\n
The changes, among others, are a distinctive trend towards
\nopenness and democracy.<\/p>\n
\"It is perhaps quite a long way before you are operating in
\nthe same way as some Western countries. But then you're not a
\nwestern country,\" he says \"But I have seen tremendous changes and
\nI think they are going to continue.\"<\/p>\n
He considers the changes very healthy. \"I think you will
\nbecome more and more open as the world becomes smaller -- we all
\nlive in a global village.\"<\/p>\n
Carrick notes also that he has seen some distinctive
\nimprovement in human rights records, notably following the Dili
\nincident. \"From where we sit ... we shall hope to see those
\nchanges continue,\" he says.<\/p>\n
On the economic side, Carrick says Indonesia's rapid economic
\ngrowth has changed his initial perceptions.<\/p>\n
Pointing to the country's attitude towards foreign investment,
\nhe says the recent deregulations \"are extremely welcomed by the
\nserious financial community outside Indonesia, including
\nBritain.\"<\/p>\n
\"I am lucky to be here at a time bilateral relations are
\nevolving in a positive way,\" Carrick says.<\/p>\n
With visible trade between the two countries over US$1.5
\nbillion each year and exchange programs in security, trade and
\ninvestment taking place, \"British-Indonesian relations are now as
\ngood as they have ever been, and as good as they've been since
\nRaffles left\".<\/p>\n
British investment, which currently ranks fifth on Indonesia's
\nlist of foreign investors, reaches about $3.75 billion.<\/p>\n
Carrick's keen interest in culture has also led him to promote
\ncultural ties between the two countries.<\/p>\n
Among the cultural exchanges which have taken place during his
\nterm of office here are the \"Island to Island\" dance performances
\npresented by Indonesians in London, and the \"Surat Emas\"
\nexhibitions -- currently traveling throughout Indonesia --
\nshowing ancient letters from Indonesian sultans to British kings
\nand queens.<\/p>\n
Carrick acknowledges that bilateral relations can be further
\nenhanced through trade, investment, improvement of the human
\nrights record, openness and democracy.<\/p>\n
Although he says British aid is unconditional, this does not
\nnecessarily mean Britain is not interested in human rights or in
\ngood governance. \"Just occasionally we have cut aid ... such as
\nin Somalia and Sudan,\" he says.<\/p>\n
Other ways to improve bilateral relations, he says, \"will
\ndepend on some bright ideas from my successor, so I will leave
\nthat to him\".<\/p>\n
He seems particularly pleased with his success in negotiations
\nto buy a piece of land for a new ambassadors residence on Jl.
\nTengku Umar in the exclusive Menteng area.<\/p>\n
Carrick and his wife Hilary, whom he met in the Foreign
\nService, currently live in Kemang, South Jakarta -- an area
\ninfamous for its almost non-stop traffic-jams.<\/p>\n
He regrets that he won't be able to enjoy the new residence.<\/p>\n
A father of two grown up sons, both living in England with
\nfamilies of their own, Carrick says he would like to be
\nremembered as someone who was enormously grateful and happy to
\nhave been allowed to live and work here.<\/p>\n
\"And in doing so to have gained so much enrichment from the
\nmyriads of cultures, people and beauty,\" he says.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/foresaking-high-paying-job-paid-off-for-carrick-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}