Self-taught diplomat brought news of young RI to the world

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Promoting Indonesia and opening new diplomatic missions were the toughest duties for Indonesian diplomats in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

In 1949, two years after Indonesia officially gained independence, the young republic established representative offices in London, Cairo, Karachi, Baghdad, New Delhi, Rangoon (now Yangon), Bangkok, Singapore and Canberra.

Most of the offices were established either by students who were studying abroad or by people sent from Jakarta, none of whom had any training or the experience in diplomacy.

The status of these offices were raised to Indonesian embassies after Indonesia and the Netherlands signed an agreement at a round table conference in The Hague in March 1949.

Imrad Idris was one diplomat actively involved in opening Indonesian diplomatic missions in Paris, Rabat and Kuala Lumpur.

Imrad, an employee of the then ministry of information, joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a press attache in Paris in May 1950 and retired after 31 years as ambassador to Hungary.

His first posting in Paris was a honeymoon for him as he married Tike Soepomo, a young Yogyakartan woman, three months prior to his departure to France.

"I started my diplomatic career from the lowest level as an attache in Paris. As a press attache, my job was to promote Indonesia in other countries," Imrad, who speaks English, Dutch, French and German, told The Jakarta Post in an interview at his residence recently.

He said that as a newly independent nation, Indonesia was not well known in the international arena.

"In the early 1950s, Indonesia was just acknowledged by the international world as a new sovereign country. Introducing our country to other nations was the most difficult challenge," he said.

"From my experience in Paris, for example, Indonesia was often pronounced Insulinde," said Imrad, a father of three sons and one daughter and grandfather to four.

"This was due to strong propaganda by the Dutch in besmirching Indonesia's name."

He always carried a bundle of information on Indonesia, including photos and the biographies of president Sukarno and vice president Mohamad Hatta, the history of Pancasila, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika as well as the history behind national anthem Indonesia Raya.

Though he had no background in journalism or diplomatic affairs, Imrad, who had dropped out of Kogyo Dai Gakko (Bandung Technical School), improved his skill through trial and error.

"I don't have a background in journalism or broadcasting, I didn't even receive training from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on diplomacy before my departure to Paris," he said.

Since the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lacked staff at the time, Imrad was assigned by the Ministry of Information to be the press attache in Paris.

After four years in Paris, Imrad was made press attache at the London mission, the oldest Indonesian Embassy in Western Europe.

"In London, I met a number of journalists who had covered Indonesian news (mainly when Indonesia's capital was in Yogyakarta), so I could exchange views with them on several issues," he said.

"It also eased my relations with other journalists in London," he said.

Many foreign journalists had moved to Yokyakarta to report on the latest developments in Indonesia after the administration was moved to the city.

In 1957, Imrad returned to Indonesia for a brief period to work as the head of cultural affairs at the Directorate of Foreign Affairs at the foreign ministry.

"I held the post for several months when the secretary-general of the foreign ministry, Roeslan Abdulgani, assigned me to Kuala Lumpur to lead a special mission to hold an Indonesian book expo in connection with Malaysia's independence, and in Singapore," he said.

One year later, Imrad was promoted as the first head of the information bureau at the new Indonesia Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

"This post really impressed me. The people here called me Guru (teacher) and Abang (brother)," he said, adding that he often presented documentary films to Malaysians.

His career continued to climb and then minister of foreign affairs Soebandrio gave Imrad six months to prepare for the establishment of a new embassy in Rabat, Morocco.

As the consul in Rabat, Imrad was privately received twice by King Mohammad V to deliver messages from president Sukarno.

"I finished my job of opening the new embassy in Rabat but the plan to send a new ambassador was not realized until I left Rabat in April 1964," he said.

Imrad was transferred to Guinea in 1968, with the additional charge of representing Indonesia in Mali.

From 1972 to 1974, Imrad was a member of an Indonesian delegation sent to Saigon.

When asked about his experience in Africa, Imrad emphasized the importance of maintaining good relations with African countries.

Imrad said that one should not underestimate the strength of African countries at the UN and other international organizations. There are some 52 countries in Africa. That means 52 votes. Indonesia has to maintain its good relations with African countries in order to achieve its foreign policy objectives.

At the age of 50, Imrad was promoted to ambassador to Hungary, where he finished his career as a diplomat.

After retiring from the foreign service, U.S. mining company Freeport Indonesia Incorporated hired Imrad as its public relations manager, a job he held for six years.

In 1997, he faced his toughest moments when his wife passed away. His loneliness prompted him to write his autobiography Twistings and Turnings of a Diplomat's Life.

"I really thank God for helping me to finish my book, I wanted to write my autobiography for my son, daughters and grandchildren," he said.