Poland: A trip full of pleasant surprises

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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