'Indonesian people are so friendly'<\/p>\n
Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
A country is strengthened not by great people with small views,
\nbut by small people with great views.<\/p>\n
Thanks to such people, the young Republic of South Africa has
\nmade great strides toward economic, sociopolitical and health
\nequity and emerged as a regional power.<\/p>\n
Now, by cohosting the forthcoming Asia-Africa summit along
\nwith Indonesia, South Africa is aiming to become a global player.<\/p>\n
South Africa's new ambassador to Indonesia Griffiths
\nMandlenkosi Memela, who submitted his credentials to President
\nSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono on March 16, is one such \"small person
\nwith great views\" who has contributed to his country's
\noutstanding achievement.<\/p>\n
South Africa's growing stature in the global and multilateral
\narena was well reflected in the successful hosting of several
\nregional as well as international conferences or summits such as
\nthe United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the
\nAfrican Union Founding summit, the Commonwealth and Non-Aligned
\nMovement summits, the World AIDS Conference, the UN World
\nConference against Racism and Xenophobia, and the 2002 World
\nSummit on Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n
Ambassador Memela, a freedom fighter-turned diplomat, was the
\nchief executive officer (CEO) when South Africa hosted the World
\nConference Against Racism (WCAR).<\/p>\n
\"I was given a very short time to undertake such a huge
\noperation. As CEO, I was responsible for all matters ranging from
\noverall strategic planning and managing human resources, finances
\nand the preparatory process to liaison with the United Nations
\nand other global stakeholders. It was an exciting moment,\"
\nMemela, said.<\/p>\n
Speaking with the candor of a professional diplomat, Memela
\nsaid he would not have succeeded without the support of Foreign
\nMinister Nkosozana Dlamini Zuma.<\/p>\n
\" She was my principal and my guiding light,\" he said in
\nadmiration.<\/p>\n
His experience in organizing the WCAR meant that Memela was
\nthe right person in the right place at the right time. That is
\nwhy South African President Thabo Mbeki appointed Memela as his
\nrepresentative to Indonesia, with the world's largest Muslim
\npopulation, at a time that South Africa and Indonesia are hosting
\na gigantic Asia-Africa summit in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
One might wonder how Memela acquired such managerial skills
\nwhile working as a diplomat. Dual roles are not new to Memela,
\nwho has a hands-on background in both management and diplomacy.<\/p>\n
He studied while he worked. While working ostensibly for the
\napartheid regime, he fought against the same regime underground.
\nIn the end, he was successful in both endeavors.<\/p>\n
After completion of his secondary education in Eastern Cape
\nprovince, Memela's family was not in a position to send him to
\nuniversity. He decided to work in the administration of the
\nHomeland Department of Traansval and continued his studies on a
\npart-time basis. Later, he moved to the University of Transvaal.<\/p>\n
Memela, who speaks fluent English, Xhosa, Zulu, Debele and
\nsome Swahili, obtained his BA degree in 1981 and Baccalaurius
\nLuris in 1994.<\/p>\n
\"I studied history and anthropology for my BA. Later, I
\ncontinued with a degree in law (Baccalaurius Luris). During that
\nperiod I quit the Homeland Department and joined the Transkei
\nAdministration and the University of Transkei,\" said Memela, who
\nis married, with four children.<\/p>\n
The 57-year-old diplomat said he did two things while working
\nat the University of Transkei.<\/p>\n
\"I worked as a student affairs officer. Simultaneously, I was
\nan active member of the United Democratic Front (UDF) underground
\norganization,\" Memela said.<\/p>\n
The UDF, an organization established by the African National
\nCongress, was very active in organizing mass protests against the
\napartheid regime. Memela became more active in the UDF when it
\nceased to be an underground movement in 1985.<\/p>\n
During negotiations with the apartheid regime between 1991 and
\n1994, Memela was appointed by the ANC as a rapporteur in one of
\nthe working groups.<\/p>\n
\" It was one of the most challenging periods of my career. It
\nwas a vexing environment punctuated by tension, mistrust and
\ngrand polemic,\" said Memela, who was also attached to the ANC's
\nelectoral committee. He was also sent to New Delhi in 1993 for
\ntraining as a diplomat.<\/p>\n
After the establishment of the Transitional Executive Council
\n(TEC) in 1994, Memela was appointed executive secretary to the
\nTEC subcouncil on Foreign Affairs. It was this job that turned
\nhim into a top diplomat.<\/p>\n
\"As executive secretary, I coordinated the entire process in
\nwhich we formulated South Africa's foreign policy,\" Memela said.<\/p>\n
His first position in the newly established foreign ministry
\nwas as chief director for European affairs (1995 to 1996). Later,
\nhe was appointed as South African high commissioner to Kenya in
\n1996 by then president Nelson Mandela.<\/p>\n
During his time in Kenya, Memela combined his managerial
\nskills and experience to build a strong relationship between
\nKenya and South Africa.<\/p>\n
\" I was very impressed by the way both Kenyan leaders and the
\npeople received me in their country. They regarded me as a
\nbrother and embraced me. What a pleasure it was to receive that
\nkind of treatment! I will never forget that for the rest of my
\nlife,\" Memela said.<\/p>\n
A man who has the trust of Mbeki and Dlamini Zuma, Memela
\nloves to watch soccer, tennis and swimming. Once he was a soccer
\nplayer. Now, due to age, he regularly visits the gym instead to
\nkeep fit.<\/p>\n
Before coming to Indonesia, Memela worked as the foreign
\nministry chief director for East Africa, the Horn of Africa and
\nthe Indian Ocean Islands.<\/p>\n
When asked his reaction upon his appointment as ambassador to
\nIndonesia, Memela said he had mixed feelings.<\/p>\n
\"On one side, I was a little reluctant to move to a completely
\ndifferent environment (Asia). On the other, as a trained diplomat
\nin India I had to regard it as a challenge to understand this
\npart of the world better.<\/p>\n
Anyhow, Indonesia is not new to me. I was a very close friend
\nof then Indonesian ambassador Lument Purnomo in Nairobi. I heard
\na lot about Indonesia from him,\" Memela said.<\/p>\n
Another thing grabbed Memela's attention: batik shirts. After
\nthey were introduced to South Africa by former president Mandela
\nthey became very popular in South Africa.<\/p>\n
\"When I landed here, the first thing I did was to purchase
\nbatik shirts,\" Memela said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
He has lot of praise for the hospitality of Indonesian people:
\n\"They're so friendly; I rarely saw that in other parts of the
\nworld.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-people-are-so-friendly-1447893297",
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