RI's youngest woman envoy hopes to forge new ties with Norway
RI's youngest woman envoy hopes to forge new ties with Norway
Adianto P. Simamora and Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The public may consider the lifestyle lavish, but ambassadors
often find they are unable to live normal lives. The image of an
ambassador is of a life where they have a cigar in one hand and a
glass of wine in the other. And an ambassador is invariably
always a man in his 50s or 60s.
But this perception is changing rapidly. Women are now
occupying top positions in the diplomatic service and are able to
successfully manage their professional lives and care for their
families. They may also be young in age, says ambassador-
designate Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi.
There is no need to smoke or drink alcohol as a diplomat, she
asserts.
Women are currently given more challenging assignments.
There are many examples -- the head of the French defense
ministry, Michele Alliot-Marie, the United States Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice. The 25-member powerful regional
organization, the European Union (EU), also appointed Benita
Ferrero-Waldner as its external relations commissioner.
Indonesia obviously does not want to lag behind. Perhaps this
is why President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appointed recently
Retno and Lucia Helwinda Rustam as Indonesia's ambassadors to
Norway and Switzerland respectively.
Currently, there are about 10 Indonesian women ambassadors
around the globe.
Retno is the youngest and the brightest among them.
At the age of 43, Retno, a career diplomat who has a degree in
international relations, has reached the peak of her career.
For Retno, her appointment was a big surprise because it broke
the long-standing myth that ambassadorial posts were the preserve
of men, who were about to retire.
"Frankly speaking, I was very surprised (with the
appointment). I knew that one day I would become an ambassador
but I didn't think it would be so soon," she told The Jakarta
Post in an interview at her office recently.
Ever since joining the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986,
where Retno now works as director of Western European affairs,
her potential has been recognized due to her excellent diplomatic
skills and experience in dealing with crisis situations.
"I was in Brussels for consultation with the European Union
when Jakarta sought my curriculum vitae for the ambassadorial
post. I had not heard of this (my candidacy) issue before," she
said.
Retno, an alumni of Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in
Yogyakarta, is married to an architect and is a mother of two
boys.
"There is no way my diplomatic career affects my family life.
I always spend quality time with my husband and children on the
weekends," said Retno, who loves mountaineering.
Retno, who was born in Semarang, began her diplomatic career
as a staff member at the directorate general of ASEAN in 1987.
She was promoted as a press attache in 1990 and posted in
Canberra. At that time the relations between Australia and
Indonesia were passing through a difficult phase due to the
situation in East Timor. The embassy was blocked by protesters on
several occasions.
"That was the most challenging task. The Santa Cruz
(Indonesian troops opened fire on East Timorese during a peaceful
memorial procession to a cemetery and killed several scores of
them) incident made our lives in Canberra more difficult," she
said.
"I still remember how difficult it was to get access to
information, I once called Jakarta for details about the incident
but no one was able to tell me what was happening there," she
said.
However, thanks to the diplomatic skills of the Indonesian
ambassador to Australia Sabam Siagian, the embassy was able to
handle the vocal Australian media, she said.
"I learned a lot from Pak Sabam especially the way he dealt
with the Australian media. He opened the dialog with local media
to discuss the incident. He has a good memory for history,"
Sabam is also the former chief editor of the Post.
Retno's performance in Canberra won her accolades from the
members of the House of Representatives, who called her a "strong
lady".
Retno was moved to the Netherlands in 1997, another difficult
place for Indonesian diplomats given the ups and downs in
Indonesia's relations with its former colonial master and the
presence of vocal Maluku dissidents.
"Our relations with the Netherlands are like those of a
husband and wife who often quarrel but never divorce. It is
because the two countries have a sensitive history together," she
said.
To create a rapport with Dutch officials, Retno applied a
personal approach by regularly visiting the Dutch foreign
ministry office and holding informal talks with the ministry's
officials. Thanks to her efforts to improve ties with the Dutch
government, things moved rapidly
A new chapter in both countries' relations was opened when
the Netherlands recognized Aug. 17, 1945 as the date of
Indonesia's independence recently. The Netherlands had never
previously recognized the date as it only transferred power to
Indonesia in 1949.
Asked about the bilateral relations between Indonesia and
Norway, Retno stressed that the two countries have strong
relations both in political and economic matters.
The two countries launched the human rights forum in 2002,
which has been working as a platform for both countries to
cooperate within the field of human rights.
Retno wants to strengthen the existing relations with a
special emphasis on economic relations to form a new partnership
with Norway.
Fisheries, energy, shipping as well as trade and investment
sectors are the main priority areas on which Retno wants to focus
during her tenure in Norway.
"Indonesia still has untapped marine resources, while Norway
has the marine technology. We can cooperate in this area," she
said.