Poland: A trip full of pleasant surprises
Soeryo Winoto, The Jakarta Post, Warsaw
People call it a museum, but as we entered the building we saw it was more of a gallery, housing some 4,000 works of oriental art from private collections.
The most surprising thing of all was when The Jakarta Post and Tempo reporters heard old keroncong (Portuguese-influenced music) songs in Indonesian. We, along with five journalists from Singapore and Thailand, were invited by Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to visit the country ahead of its president's visit to Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand from Feb. 21-28.
"Hello, you both must be from Indonesia," said a man with a pipe in his right hand. We later learned his name was Andrzey Wawrzyniak, director/curator in-chief of the Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw.
"My second country is Indonesia. And I love keroncong music the most. My favorite keroncong song is Keroncong Muritzku," he said, pointing to a heap of cassettes in his room which is packed with 1,800 artifacts, paintings and other oriental items, including statues of Buddha.
Wawrzyniak added the word "Nusantara", meaning the Indonesian archipelago, to his name, "because my love for Indonesia will never run dry".
A diplomat during president Sukarno's era in the 1960s, he recounted many stories of his days with the former Indonesian leader. His eyes turned bright when he said he received a kris from the then president, known for ascribing to the principles of kejawen (traditional Javanese belief system).
"I received the kris from Pak Puguh (one of Sukarno's aides) just days before Bung Karno passed away at Dewi's home," Wawrzyniak said, referring to Ratna Sari Dewi, Sukarno's fourth wife from Japan, who owned a house on Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jakarta. Dewi's house is now used for the Army Satriya Mandala Museum.
Taking out the kris from its sheath in the reverential Javanese way, he said that he put the dagger on his bed every day. He also reminisced about his time in Jakarta between 1961 and 1971, telling us that he was close to several major painters, including the late Affandi, S. Sudjojono, Hendra Gunawan, Mochtar Apin, AD Pirous and Nyoman Gunarsa.
"I also have their works here."
Pak Nusantara's love of Indonesia is such that he had Slawek Strazewski, a Polish counselor based in Jakarta, ask me to bring a box of Djarum clove cigarettes for him.
Meeting a confirmed fan of Indonesia was not the only highlight of our trip to Poland.
Interviews with Poland's President Aleksander Kwasniewski and the first lady were other impressive moments for the journalists. For all of us, it was the first time to visit the country, and the impression of an iron curtain land was still in our minds, despite several books we read about the "new" Poland before setting off on our journey.
We were somewhat shocked when the interpreter, who accompanied us every day, said that due to protocol only three journalists would be accepted to meet the first lady Jolanta Kwasniewska (her surname is the distaff spelling). Fortunately, two Singaporean journalists had their own agenda. This left the Thai TV 11 journalists, Tempo and myself with the opportunity to meet the first lady, who is very well regarded in the country for her care for destitute children.
It was snowing that morning as our bus entered the presidential palace compound, under the watchful eyes of two soldiers walking to and fro in front of the palace. But they said no single word.
"The first lady prefers questions that are not political," the female staff member who arranged the press meeting said. The "ruling" made us change our questions and to make everything fair, we agreed to take turns asking the first lady. Each of us raised no more than three questions.
The furniture was rearranged upon the order of the first lady's staff to allow the cameramen to get the best picture of the first lady. About 10 minutes later a charming woman in a pearl-white blouse and black skirt with high-heeled black boots greeted us in a very warm and friendly manner.
Mrs. Kwasniewska, the number one woman in Poland, is tipped as one of the strong presidential candidates in the 2005 election to replace her husband.
She answered all questions in Polish but it seemed that the use of the English interpreter was primarily due to protocol, as the first lady frequently started her answers in good English.
When asked about expectations that she would become the next president, she said: "I have never been interested in politics, nevertheless I do appreciate people's wish that I become the next president.
She said she had no special motto in life, "but as I frequently say publicly, 'be in a hurry to become good people'."
After meeting the first lady I was told that the president would meet us, but the exact time had yet to be decided. Actually, the meeting with the president was not on the Indonesian journalists' agenda.
At about 4:30 p.m. we returned to the palace for a gathering with President Kwasniewski.
We proceeded to a well furnished room set for a press meeting, with drinks on the table. Questions were not at the forefront of our minds but rather what time the number one man would appear, because we should have departed to Poznan, an old town some 200 km west of Warsaw, two hours earlier, according to the schedule.
At that time all seven journalists took part in the session. As we did when meeting with the first lady, we also shared questions and agreed to take turns asking questions to the president.
We all looked up with joy upon hearing footsteps nearing. "Good afternoon. I'm really sorry for keeping you waiting long," the president greeted us. "I just met with a good friend of mine, the Ukrainian president, who saw me for a consultation. I was not aware that it was after five."
He answered all our questions -- from bilateral ties with ASEAN countries to Polish troops in Iraq and other issues relating to his country's admittance to the European Union -- in good English.
A funny scene took place after the 45-minute session when Manich Sooksomchitra, the senior editor for The Thai-Rath Daily asked to be photographed with the president. Manich gave the camera to another Thai friend and asked him to shoot him shaking hands with the president. Unfortunately, the flash of the camera failed to go off -- three times. It had all the onlookers laughing although the president just smiled.
Before flying home to Jakarta, we got another surprise when we, along with five other journalists, visited to the city of Poznan, some 200 kilometers west of Warsaw.
The beauty of the city, with its old historical buildings, was somewhat hidden by the snow. The freezing temperature for us Asians made us a little reluctant to take pictures out in the open.
All roads were covered with snow when we headed for the main campus of the University of Adam Mickiewicz on Feb. 13. In the afternoon, we were welcomed at the other campus, and to our surprise the audience, the students and the professors had been waiting for us. It was Southeast Asian Day at the university on that day.
Southeast Asian studies have become important subjects in the well-acknowledged university, thanks to Prof. Alfred F. Majewicz who pioneered Southeast Asian studies in Poland.
The classroom was packed with students, professors and other invitees, who admired a Thai boxing show by a Polish student.
It was announced in the forum that Bahasa Indonesia would be taught in the university starting in September or October this year. "We are very serious in this field. Now it's up to your government to respond," Prof. Majewicz told me.
Teija Gumilar, a student of the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan -- I call him the only (Indonesian) boy in Poznan -- teaches Indonesian.
"I am glad to meet you, Pak, because I can speak Bahasa Indonesia, which I haven't spoken for a quite long time," Gumilar told me with wide smile. He said he needed more paraphernalia, leaflets or book regarding Indonesia because there are very few items he has for teaching.
I believe that the teaching of Southeast Asian studies, including Bahasa Indonesia, at the university indicates the Polish government's seriousness in expanding friendship in the field of social, culture and education with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries.
Therefore, President Kwasniewski's statement that his country would not be Eurocentric was apparently sincere.
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