Outgoing U.S. Ambassador caught up in tale of two cities
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The departing U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia, Ralph L. Boyce, used the words of Charles Dickens, from his book A tale of Two Cities, to describe the course of events that transformed Indonesia in recent years.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair... we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...", he quoted in the opening address of his "farewell" speech, before a group of editors and business executives, here on Thursday.
When the U.S. Senate confirmed his assignment to Indonesia, just 15 days after the terrorist attack in New York in 2001, Boyce knew that difficult times were ahead.
Indonesia was struggling, after being hit by political turmoil and the subsequent economic crisis, while the fear of terror attacks gripped the world.
But, when he leaves Jakarta next week -- after three years of service in Indonesia -- he will also bring with him the memories of having witnessed the rebirth of an authoritarian nation into a democracy, and of his brief musical "career" as a drummer in The Harmony, a celebrity-laden musical troop.
"There were a lot of problems, a lot of headaches, a lot of crises, and so it was -- you know -- I had a little bit of a different impression at the beginning of six years about Indonesia.
"And, I tell people sometimes that, for three years in Washington, I used to wake up in the morning, and get out of bed and say, 'Well, I wonder what happened overnight in Indonesia? It's gonna make my day a living nightmare.' And often there was some terrible news."
Prior to his Indonesian assignment, Boyce, 52, had been deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific affairs since August 1998. His areas of responsibility included Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Topping U.S. concern at that time was Indonesia's commitment to fighting terrorism. "Really, we were going into a new age of terrorism, which was very scary. And it was very unclear whether Indonesia was gonna get it."
But the progress the country has made, including the peaceful direct presidential election, opens up a spring of hope.
"I realized, maybe in the last year, year-and-a-half, that I had stopped worrying about Indonesia ... I think the answer is because Indonesia got everything going in the right direction. It's kind of like turning an aircraft carrier around, you know, it takes a long time to change direction.
"But, I have the feeling that this country, the people of this country, even more than the elites, I think, have decided we're going in the direction that involves more decentralization, more democracy, the increased capability of our leaders, more transparency. And we're gonna to do it now."
While he confessed to being greatly impressed by Indonesians' hospitality and warm character -- and this country's cultural creativity and artistic expression -- he also advised Indonesians to go easy on themselves.
"As a friend of Indonesia, I think you are the harshest critics of all, of yourselves. You are very impatient with this whole reformasi; it's gonna take time, it's a long way to go. But, you know what? From time to time, you should take a deep breath, just reflect on how far you have come already."
He also encouraged Indonesia to reduce its dependence on aid, while improving its welfare through bilateral trade and foreign investment. To this end, he said that Indonesia had to practice good governance by ensuring a corruption-free administration, the presence of a legal framework, transparency and accountability.
"Perhaps, the greatest economic contribution to the Indonesian economy is our open market. Trade is so much more important than aid. Bilateral trade is about US$9 billion a year, and the surplus is very large in your favor. And our market is one of the engines that drives your growth."
He gave assurances that the U.S. would remain a strong supporter of Indonesia's transition process in the post-Soeharto era of 1998 and beyond. "I'm confident that this policy will not change, no matter who wins our election next month."
Boyce is known here as an avid drummer. The Harmony Band, set up in March this year, was an ad hoc music group comprising ambassadors and Indonesian government officials. Its first performance, that same month, was to raise funds for dengue patients.
"We raised one billion rupiah. And we had so much fun that we just kept playing," he recalled, to the delight of the audience at the Jakarta Media Center on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta.
Boyce, a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, will assume the ambassadorial post in Thailand, a country that he has served several times -- as a political counselor in 1988, and as deputy chief of mission, from Oct. 1994 to Aug. 1998.
Dickens wrote, "... we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way". But, Ambassador Boyce is on his way to a new assignment, to take the pulse of another nation.