Della Monica wins hearts and minds

Della Monica wins hearts and minds

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The primary functions of a diplomat are to represent the views of
their government and promote bilateral relations with the host
country.

Outgoing Ambassador of the Delegation of the European
Commission to Indonesia Sabato Della Monica, on the other hand,
is a unique kind of diplomat, and represents neither a government
nor a nation.

Della Monica, an Italian national with a doctorate in
economics and trade, has been representing the interests of 25
European countries in Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and East Timor
since July 2000.

People may consider their lifestyles lavish, but diplomats can
often find that they are unable to live normal lives.

This is an undeniable fact in the case of those diplomats who
represent their own country. One can only imagine the workload of
an ambassador who represents 25 countries in three different
places at a time.

Although his job in Jakarta requires the abilities of a
"superman", Della Monica, who has dedicated most of his life to
promoting the European Union (EU) in the furthest corners of the
world, is a simple, friendly and jovial man.

The 61-year-old economist-turned-diplomat loves his job and
has a high appreciation of this country and its people.

"Indonesia is a great and beautiful country. Indonesians are
among my best friends -- believe me, I found it easy to befriend
them because of their exquisite open-heartedness, respect and
politeness," Della Monica, who was born in 1941 in Cetara, Italy,
told The Jakarta Post recently.

Throughout his tenure, during which he observed the succession
of three presidents, Della Monica has been successful in winning
the hearts and minds of many Indonesians and raising awareness on
the EU in the country.

"Ambassador Della Monica is to be congratulated for raising
the profile of the European Union in Indonesia. I am aware,
thanks to Ambassador Della Monica, not only if there is an
enhanced appreciation of the EU within the Indonesian government
circle, but also among the wider Indonesian public," foreign
ministry spokesman and director general for ASEAN (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations) Cooperation Marty Natalegawa told the
Post.

"Ambassador Della Monica is a nice man. He has done a good job
in Indonesia," Djisman Simanjuntak, a well-known economist and a
personal friend, said upon hearing the news of the ambassador's
departure.

"Indonesians are some of the frankest people with whom to
conduct a discussion. We, in the West, often believe that we
invented tolerance. Well, it's my experience that it has been
developed to an art here, which probably goes some way to
explaining the success of Indonesia's great cultural riches,"
Della Monica said.

Della Monica joined the European Commission, the executive arm
of the EU, in 1971, and has held a variety of positions in
Brussels and the Bolivia, Peru, Republic of Congo and Tunisia.

During his four-and-a-half years in Jakarta, Indonesian
democracy developed and strengthened significantly, marked by the
successful, first direct presidential election and central and
regional legislative elections.

Della Monica, for his part, played a crucial role in
convincing EU headquarters in Brussels to deploy the largest
election observer mission to monitor the Indonesian elections.

As the election year drew to a close, observers from the EU
and governance organizations lauded the elections for being fair
and peaceful, and as a model for democratic elections worldwide.

The EU also underwent an historic development in May 2004,
expanding from a 15-member to a 25-member powerful regional
grouping. Della Monica contributed to the process, helping
ambassadors of several new member countries -- the Czech
Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, which have embassies in
Jakarta -- to become familiar with EU norms and regulations.

"Ambassador Della Monica played a key role in strengthening
the relations between the EU and Indonesia. He is friendly and
cooperative, and I enjoyed working with him. We worked together
here during the EU enlargement," Royal Netherlands Ambassador to
Indonesia Ruud Treffers said.

The Netherlands currently holds the EU presidency.

The ambassador's staff at the EU have a similar opinion about
him.

"Della Monica is a true European, imbued with quiet enthusiasm
for the European project of solidarity around shared values. His
attitude has been a source of inspiration for all his
collaborators throughout the exciting four-and-a-half years with
Sabato at the helm of the European Delegation in Jakarta," said
Ulrich Eckle, political counselor and the No. 2 in Della Monica's
office.

Meanwhile, Slovakian Ambassador to Indonesia Peter Holasek has
a slightly different opinion about Della Monica: "For me,
Ambassador Della Monica is a friend, teacher and a fatherly
figure. I received a lot of help and guidance at the time of my
country's entry into the EU. I'd consider Della Monica as my
father."

Della Monica's exemplary character is also evident in the many
honors he has received, including Bolivia's Grand Cross of the
Order of the Andean Condor and Peru's Grand Cross of the Order of
the Sun for his work in those countries from 1991 to 1996.

Despite his achievements on the diplomatic front, Della Monica
admits he has some weaknesses.

"Unfortunately, I don't play golf and tennis like other
diplomats. I wanted to learn Bahasa Indonesia, but I could not
succeed."

As for his favorite pastime, the ambassador said he loved
traveling and talking to people, especially in rural areas.

"I have been privileged to travel to many areas in Sumatra,
Java, Sulawesi and Kalimantan. Besides Bali, Indonesia has so
many beautiful places. I will advise my friends in Europe to
visit this wonderful country," he said.

Della Monica will return to Brussels soon to the new tasks --
and perhaps new countries and friends -- that await him.

"The experience of these last four-and-a-half years -- feeling
the pulse in this great country -- will be an inspiration for the
rest of my career -- and life," he said.