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.