U.S. envoy Boyce: Right man at the right time

Endy Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There was probably never any doubt in the minds of the people in Washington that Ambassador Ralph L. "Skip" Boyce would be the right man in the right place when they chose him in February to represent the United States in Indonesia. Little did they or Boyce himself know then that his assignment in Jakarta, which officially began last week, was also very timely.

His career as a diplomat has certainly prepared him well for the job, his first as an ambassador. His stints in Thailand and Singapore helped familiarize him with Southeast Asia.

Although he has never served in Jakarta before, he spent a great deal of his time these last three years working on the Indonesian portfolio in his capacity as deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and Pacific Affairs.

But it is his long experience in predominantly Muslim countries in the early years of his diplomatic career that probably comes in most handy as he begins his job here.

Relations between Indonesia and the United States have come under a lot of strain lately in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America and the subsequent U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. With Islam figuring prominently in any debate on relations between the United States and Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, and with the Afghan war often portrayed by some here as a war against Islam, Boyce is well poised to explain U.S. policy to Indonesia.

His knowledge of Islam was derived from the times he spent in Afghanistan as an intern at the U.S. embassy in Kabul, and later as a full-fledged diplomat in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, and Tunisia and Pakistan.

Time will tell whether he really is the right man at the right place and at the right time.

In an interview at his office overlooking the National Monument Park, Boyce describes the circumstances surrounding the timing of his appointment as something of a "fluke".

Despite the growing strain in bilateral relations these last two years, compounded now by differences over the Afghan war, Boyce remains hopeful that the United States and Indonesia will remain on friendly terms.

"I want to bring U.S.-Indonesia relations back to where they have been traditionally, which is mutual understanding and respect, cooperation on common goals, the people to people element which I want to continue to strengthen," he says of his personal goals in his new job.

"I want to leave here in three or four years and say that an already sound relationship was improved during my time. I think that's a great challenge, I hope I'm up to it."

Boyce refuses to be drawn into comparison between his style of diplomacy and that of his predecessor Robert L. Gelbard, whose three-year tenure in Jakarta was filled with controversy. Many Indonesian political leaders simply found Gelbard too brash.

However, from the way Boyce describes himself, and his approach to diplomacy, Indonesia can look forward to a less controversial envoy, although not necessarily less vocal.

"I think I would describe myself as a person who is open with a good sense of humor, with an interest in the diversity of cultures around the world, and very interested in languages," says Boyce, who is now learning Bahasa Indonesia.

Although he has mastered Persian, French and Thai, all picked up in his earlier postings, he says his brain has only room for one foreign language at a time.

Besides learning the local language, he believes strongly in the need for diplomats to learn the local cultures.

"An Indonesian diplomat going to the United States would have to have to figure out some of the local characteristics and idiosyncrasies as well. That's the case anywhere.

"There is a way to do business out here and I respect that, and I am trying to figure out when is the appropriate time to speak up and when is the appropriate time to be quiet.

"Often messages are better sent private than publicly. You see the challenge for all of us is to figure out when those moments are," he says.

His term in Singapore in 1992-94 gave him the privilege to be involved in the big debate at the time about Asian versus Western values. He says he personally has doubts that there is such a thing as an "Asia value" concept.

"I remember one guy went back to the States from Singapore and his father-in-law asked him what Asian values are all about, and he gave that definition -- thrift, respect for your elders, investment in education, politeness, etc. -- His father-in-law said, `those are Norwegian values.'"

Born in Washington on Feb. 1, 1952, to a diplomatic family, Boyce never looked at any other career prospect. And that was not because his father pushed him into it.

"At my swearing in ceremony, I paid tribute to my father who is 82 years old.

"Growing up with him during my youth in places like Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Pakistan, he never once tried to talk me into or even once suggested that I take up a life as a foreign service officer.

"But frankly I never once thought of anything else because of the great example he set for me."

Boyce, who is married to Kathryn Sligh, none of his two children from his are apparently interested in following on his footsteps. Matthew, 23, is in medical school and Erin, 21, is in her final year at the University of Virginia.

"They will be having their own lives," he says.

Don't expect to catch the new U.S. ambassador on a golf course in Jakarta at weekends. Golf does not feature among his hobbies.

"Imagine that I've actually been successfully working in Southeast Asia for 13 years and I don't play golf!

"So I won't have these golf outings to fill up my weekends. So what I think what my hobbies are going to be is go out and travel, both professionally and personally. I like to read and exercise. Run on a treadmill while watching movies or the news."

How did he get his nickname?

"The mythology is that I'm Ralph Boyce junior and My dad's name is also Ralph, so usually you have some sort of nickname.

"When I was little I had a cousin who was much older than me and she married a naval aviator whose nickname was Skip. I just thought he was the greatest guy and used to trail around behind him and people used to call him "Big Skip" and me "Little Skip".

In Thailand, where people had trouble pronouncing his first name, most people referred him by his nickname, hence he recalls he was often referred there as Khun Skip.

In Jakarta, however, now that he is an ambassador, most people will probably have to stick to decorum and address him by his formal title.