Scientist plays role of RI envoy

M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Rizal Sukma never dreamed of becoming a diplomat, believing that the nature of the profession resembled that of footsoldiers who merely carried out orders that had been drawn up on high.

The director of studies at Jakarta-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that rather than take such a job, he preferred to carry out analytical work in that field.

Engaging in scholarly work was his aim from an early age.

Ironically, it was his diligent scholarly activities that landed him in the type of work regularly carried out by a diplomat: promoting the country's interests.

In the past 10 years, Rizal has been a member of Indonesia's Eminent Expert Persons (EEP) for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Regional Forum (ARF) and the Indonesian Committee in the Council on Security Cooperation in Asia-Pacific (CSCAP), two institutions that promote security in the region.

As a member of the two institutions, Rizal has contributed much to the establishment of a security framework in ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region, although heavily academic in its nature.

Rizal has championed the paramount importance of the so-termed Asean Security Community (ASC), a loose political and security cooperation that was conceived to ward off nonconventional threats such as piracy, illegal logging, natural disaster and terrorism.

For years, Rizal and the country's three senior diplomats engaged in scholarly dialog with their counterparts from other ASEAN countries about the feasibility of such a concept. He traveled extensively abroad to discuss the issue, which rarely left him available for local journalists who wished to hear his political comments.

In October 2003, the concept was no longer a matter of academic discourse when leaders of the ASEAN countries, who had gathered in Bali for a heads of state meeting, declared their agreement to what is known as Bali Concord II, adopting the ASC as a framework to achieve a resilient and integrated ASEAN community -- albeit with reservations that such a community would not plunder upon their territorial integrity.

Rizal considered the concord also a major breakthrough as, for the first time in the history of ASEAN, country members agreed on the use of the word "democracy" in an official document.

Rizal's years of campaigning for the Asean Security Community and the subsequent acceptance of the concept by members of the Southeast Asian countries bloc drew attention from the Tokyo- based Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS), which later decided to give him the first Nakasone Yasuhiro Award late last month.

Named after one of the most powerful prime ministers in Japan's modern history, the award was given to individuals under 40 years who combined intellect with action in a bold and proactive approach in helping to create a brighter 21st century.

Rizal was one of four with outstanding achievement who were selected by the IIPS to receive the award.

The institute also shortlisted Rizal for his contribution to push for the reform in the Indonesian Military (TNI), an effort he said would bring the military back into its natural role, defense.

Along with numerous other political scientists, Rizal was involved in the drawing up of Defense Law No. 03/2002.

"The Institute believes that the military reform would help bring about regional security as the TNI could devote its resources solely for defense purposes," Rizal told The Jakarta Post in a late afternoon interview from his CSIS office in Tanah Abang, West Jakarta.

Along with the award, Rizal went home with US$4,800 as financial support for future research.

With such high-profile recognition, the 40-year-old from Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam will not look back in regret at the fact that he was unable to enroll at Bandung Institute of Technology, where he longed to study after high school.

Failing to gain entry to ITB, Rizal opted to enroll at the International Relations department of state Padjajaran University (Unpad), his second choice in a placement test.

"It took me two years to discover that international relations was an interesting subject," Rizal said, adding that he also began to engage in scholarly debates by writing for local papers.

In spite of his enthusiasm, Rizal graduated from Unpad in 1989 with a less-than-impressive degree, saying that he might have spent much of his time playing cards.

After a brief teaching stint at the university, Rizal left for Jakarta to join CSIS in 1990. "I always wanted to become a researcher for CSIS simply because its library was probably the most extensive in the country," he said.

Briefly after joining CSIS, Rizal again left for the UK, this time to pursue a master's degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

In 1993, Rizal obtained the degree and wasted no time pursuing a doctorate in international relations.

He was awarded the degree in 1996 and returned to Indonesia the following year. With the degree, Rizal became one of four Indonesian scholars to have obtained their degree in international relations from the prestigious college.

His PhD dissertation on Indonesia's relations with China has been published by Routledge Curzon. His second book on the influence of Islam on Indonesian foreign policy has also been published by them.

Upon his return in 1997, Rizal was soon promoted to assume the directorship of CSIS studies, a position he has retained until now.

His years of schooling did not drive Rizal to indulge in academic complacency that kept him imprisoned in an ivory tower.

The son of Acehnese teachers later joined the country's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, the same year, which led to his involvement with the National Mandate Party (PAN), the brainchild of Amien Rais, patron of the 16-million strong organization.

"I get along well with Pak Amien because he is also well- versed in international relations," he said.

He later served as Amien's adviser when the Muslim scholar ran for president in the 2004 election.

With the political parade now over, Rizal is back with CSIS and has returned to teaching at the University of Indonesia.

He now lives in Serpong, Tangerang, with his wife, a son and a daughter.