'Palar a diplomatic hero'

Imanuddin, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In observance of his remarkable contributions to the country's foreign diplomacy, the government hinted on Friday at the possibility of granting national hero status to the late diplomat Lambertus Nicodemus (L.N.) Palar.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said Palar, the first Indonesian envoy to the United Nations (UN), deserved a state award as a national hero for his services.

"Palar contributed a lot to Indonesia's diplomacy in defending the existence of the country's 1945 proclamation of independence," Hassan said while addressing a seminar on Remembering Diplomat/Ambassador L.N. Palar in Manado, North Sulawesi, as quoted by Antara.

The seminar was organized by the Manado-based Sam Ratulangi State University in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The North Sulawesi provincial administration can propose (to the central government) that L.N. Palar be declared a national hero and be posthumously awarded with the highest medal of merit of the Republic of Indonesia," the minister told the seminar, which was also attended by North Sulawesi Governor A.J. Sondakh and the university's rector J. Paruntu.

Palar was known as Indonesia's spokesman in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) forum on Indonesia from 1947 to 1950.

During that period, the world situation was very difficult due to a conflict of interest with respect to national and international orders, Hassan said.

However, Indonesia continued to step up foreign diplomacy as no nation could be regarded as a state unless it was internationally recognized by other countries, he said.

Palar was then appointed as the country's first envoy to the world body when Indonesia was officially accepted as the 60th member of the UN in 1950.

The Dutch-educated diplomat then served as Indonesian ambassador to India, the former West Germany, the former Soviet Union, and Canada before he was reappointed as the Indonesian envoy to the UN until 1964, when Indonesia opted to quit its UN membership. Indonesia rejoined the world body in 1965.

"So it is quite reasonable if the country's best son deserves an award as a national hero," Hassan said.

Palar, who died in 1981, was once granted the Third Order Medal of the Republic of Indonesia.