Outgoing envoy Rajic a 'real Betawi'

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Generally, governments appoint ambassadors to foreign countries, who have had distinguished careers in diplomacy, public service or politics.

Sometimes, well-known public figures are also appointed as ambassadors.

After all, an ambassador's main function is to represent the view of his or her government and nation in a foreign land.

Outgoing Bosnia and Hezegovina Ambassador to Indonesia Zadravko Rajic was neither a diplomat, nor an official nor a politician when he was appointed.

While he says he has enjoyed his work in Indonesia, Rajic says he initially never wanted a job as an ambassador.

"My name was on the list of prospective ambassadors for a long time. My government was often asking me to accept an ambassadorial post. After many requests, I finally took up the position (as Ambassador to Indonesia)," said Rajic, who will be leaving Indonesia this week after serving here for almost three years, when interviewed recently by The Jakarta Post at his office.

Rajic -- who was born on June 8, 1941, in Capljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina -- submitted his credentials to then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri on March 18, 2002.

Looking at his impressive career, it must have been clear to her why Bosnia and Herzegovina -- a small Balkan state that seceded from former Yugoslavia -- wanted Rajic as its ambassador to Indonesia.

With a multifaceted personality, Rajic is more than a diplomat.

He speaks eight languages, including English, German, Arabic and Bahasa Indonesia fluently, and is an mechanical engineer by profession with a postgraduate degree in management and information technology.

While studying at the University of Sarajevo in the 1960s, he was not only a bright student but also a top gymnast, representing the university at many international tournaments in Italy, Austria and Hungary.

"Gymnastics is my favorite hobby. Despite my age (63), I still practice gymnastics daily -- for about 20 minutes in the mornings and an hour in the evenings. I enjoy the parallel bars."

Rajic later began his career as a lecturer at Sarajevo's Secondary Technical School in 1967.

Looking younger than his years, he said he faced a dilemma early on in choosing between education and sport.

"Every morning, I used to spend time with my professor, and evenings with the gymnastics coach. Finally, I decided to go ahead with my educational career," said Rajic.

Ever active, when he was not at the university or in the gym, Rajic headed for the mountains, to climb. The travel he did when mountaineering sparked a third passion, cooking.

By himself in Jakarta -- his wife didn't join him because of ill health -- he continues to cook.

"I used to spend time with cooks, instructing them on how to prepare Bosnian food for receptions on our national day (March 1). I have two completely different hobbies.

"One (cooking) makes me gemuk (fat) and the other (sports) makes me kurus (slim). Thus, there is a balance," Rajic, who was also an active member of the university's music choir, said with a laugh.

Rajic's life took a new turn when he joined the country's largest energy firm, Energoinvest Co., in 1968 as deputy technical manager. Later, he was promoted to executive manager of the company's transmission lines division.

"My division built 65,000 kilometers of overhead electricity transmission lines in 33 countries, including Indonesia. We also built cable transportation projects (ski-lifts) in Bosnia and Herzegovna (for the XIV Sarajevo Winter Olympics in 1984), Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Russia and Kazakhstan." In view of these achievements, in 1982 and 1983 he was elected chairman of the Association of Engineers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Rajic worked in Libya (1983 to 1986) as a transmission lines manager and built 5,000 km of transmission lines and 200 substations.

Thanks to his remarkable achievements in Energoinvest Co., both in and outside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rajic's name became popular within government circles.

"My government wanted to utilize me in a political position. That happened three times," he said.

Rajic was elected as the president of the Municipal Assembly Council of Sarajevo for the period 1972 to 1974. Later, he became deputy mayor of Sarajevo from 1974 to 1975, and from 1981 to 1982 was mayor of the Ilidza municipality in western Sarajevo.

As a first-time ambassador and diplomat, Rajic's achievements during the past three years have been remarkable.

Thanks to his communication skills and vast experience in dealing with senior government officials, Rajic succeeded in strengthening relations between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia.

"I didn't have any previous experience in the diplomatic service, but I managed to succeed in my career (as an ambassador).

"Just after the submission of my credentials in 2002, I convinced then-president Megawati Soekarnoputri to visit my country. She accepted. At the end of my career, our foreign minister visited Indonesia in December 2004.

"These two, high-level visits opened a new chapter in our countries' relations. For a diplomat, what else could you want," Rajic said.

Asked about his experiences in Indonesia, Rajic said he enjoyed his job and time here.

"It's a nice place to live. I've made lots of friends here. I love Indonesian culture, which is so diverse and is unique in the world. Sometimes, I tell my Indonesian friends, "Saya orang Betawi asli" (I am a real Betawi)," Rajic said jokingly.

When pressed further on being a Betawi, Rajic explained that he knew Jakarta, notorious for traffic jams, like a native Betawi.

"Last year, I attended 260 events and meetings. But I never arrived late on a single occasion. You know, several Indonesians and foreigners always came late and gave two common excuses: Macet atau hujan (traffic jam or the rain) for their lateness.

For me, there is no macet or hujan. I know all the roads, and how much time it will take to reach a place, and at what particular time it is crowded or not. That's why I'm always on time."

Despite his success on the political front, Rajic feels that while some progress has been made, the countries' trade relations must be improved further.

"I have already convinced my former company, Energoinvest, to invest in Indonesia. Businesspeople from my country visited and signed an agreement with Kadin (the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Trade).

"Both countries must work hard to improve the situation in this field," Rajic said.