Merola believes in power of art

Christina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta

If you ask Italian Ambassador Alessandro Merola what he has learned from his stint in Indonesia, "patience" would be on top of the list.

"In Western countries we tend to rush everything. Everybody is always stressed, only thinking about troubles and problems. Indonesians look at things with a certain distance and have a different notion about time. So the most important lessons I learned in Indonesia is how to be patient."

Europeans, and especially Italians, are not renowned for their patience. Merola will find his newly acquired patience helpful in his next job. He will leave his post in Jakarta soon for a new job at the Italian representative office at the European Union's office in Brussels.

"I feel very sorry that I didn't have enough time to see again more of this big and diverse country," said the ambassador, who started his Jakarta posting in December 1999. "But I got an offer I couldn't refuse."

Merola is a man who loves change and challenges. Born in 1947 in Rome, he studied political sciences at the University of Rome and joined the diplomatic service in 1972.

"I'm very curious and open-minded," Merola said about himself. "These are the basic gifts for a diplomat. Every job we do, is synchronous with what we think or what we are. To become a diplomat means you are looking for change. I never saw myself sitting at the same table for 20 years -- and consequently I have never done the same job longer than two and a half years."

Merola's first postings abroad were at the Permanent Representation to the European Union in Brussels and at the Italian Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. When he returned to Rome in 1983, he became the head of the desk for Asian Economic Affairs. During this time he had the chance to travel around Asia and discovered his affinity for Indonesia.

"That time Jakarta was still very quiet compared to Bangkok or Manila. But there was already this breath of the capital of a very big country," Merola says. "And I love big countries -- because of their variety, their dimension, their interest for the region."

In line with his love for world capitals, Merola joined in 1987 the Italian Embassy in Mexico City as minister counselor and later became the head of the Economic Department at the embassy in Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. When he was nominated to become ambassador, he chose Indonesia out of a couple of options.

"My job is to explain to my country what Indonesia is like and the other way around. The basic for every relationship in general is mutual knowledge. But since I came here I noticed that we have a terrible lack of exactly this point."

Merola experienced this ignorance especially after the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. He recalled he was having lunch, when he got panicky calls from Italy, telling him the Western media reported huge anti-American demonstrations in Jakarta and described the situation as dangerous as the one in Peshawar.

"What the Europeans don't understand is that this country (Indonesia) is first of all very, very big. A regional conflict in Maluku doesn't affect your daily life in Jakarta," the ambassador said. "And second, Muslims here are very moderate. Instead of being afraid of the biggest Muslim population in the world we should consider Indonesia as a model for a possible dialog between the religions."

To better the mutual understanding, Merola has looked for a way for better communication between both countries. And the compassionate fan of modern literature and cinema believes to have found a common language for better understanding: contemporary art.

Instead of showing Italian antiques, Merola prefers initiating exhibitions of modern paintings -- not caring about the objections of some of his compatriots.

And he fiercely defends a decision he has made. The thing that he hates most is the stereotype that Italy is a mere former Roman Empire, much the same as Indonesia is considered part of the tourist island of Bali.

"I take for granted that most Indonesians know a lot about Italy's past. I think, it is much more interesting for a young and changing country like Indonesia to look at the new Italian culture."

Merola has also been promoting between the two countries what he calls the three f's: fashion, food and football (soccer). Both countries have a very creative design and fashion scene. As much as Italian food has become popular in Indonesian cities, specialities from the Far East are liked by many Italians.

Even if the ambassador admits that he is not a big football fan, he enjoys the Indonesians' enthusiasm for the World Cup. And he was more than surprised to find an Indonesian magazine covering nothing else but Liga Italia.

The father of one daughter, Merola says one of the most difficult things in a diplomat's life is to find a balance between profession and private life.

"Almost your whole life becomes a job. A new post for a diplomat means not only professional challenges, but also life experience. An ambassador who doesn't understand mentally or psychologically the country where he works or even doesn't like it personally, is in the wrong place," he insists

But despite all the flexibility, Merola acknowledges that he cannot survive without some basic needs: cigarettes, a couple of books in the Italian language, which help him understand the concerns of his compatriots back home. And the thing he cannot live without is Italian coffee.

Merola has addressed farewell gatherings over the past weeks and shared a piece of wisdom: "A piece of every country where you have been posted will remain inside you."