Outgoing envoy Rajic a 'real Betawi'

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.