The one with Ali Alatas and my dream…
Some say that to work in United Nations is every International Relations student’s dream. Well, maybe not all of them, but at least I know that I am one of those dreamer. It has been three years since I started my study as an International Relations student, and from the very beginning, I always wanted to be part of the international community. I dedicated this post to the late Mr. Ali Alatas and his endless inspiration for me and my friends of IR study.
Indonesia had lost a son of the nation, our greatest diplomat who had served the nation and gave nothing but excellence in his service. Ali Alatas, the nation’s toughest negotiator and a noble diplomat died on Thursday, 11 December 2008 at the age of 76.
He is most well known for his role during the early stage of post- Soeharto era when the bloody violence in East Timor had made the international community questioned Indonesia’s credential on human rights issue. At that time, he served as Indonesia’s foreign minister, and the case of East Timor was a major test for him to show his class as a true diplomat. Some say that diplomacy is an art to do and say even the ugliest thing in the nicest way. And Ali sure mastered the art.
There is no doubt among Indonesians that Ali Alatas had served an ideal figure of what a diplomat should be like. He was the voice of the nation, an Indonesian face that is so familiar among the international community, a wise man of whom the world asks for help to.
I had a good fortune of meeting him in person when I was still in my first year of IR study. It was a ballroom speech with Condoleezza Rice as the speaker and Mr. Ali was there as the representative from the ICWA to greet the secretary of state.
I was watching him in stage and tried to tell myself to stop thinking that I could have an opportunity to have a chat with him. At that time, I was thinking that he is a very high profile figure who is unlikely to have the time to chat or even mingle with the audience. Surprisingly, in the end of the event, he actually mingled with the students, along with other notable guests of ICWA.
I think it was just such an enlightenment to feel his charm when I finally got the chance to greet him. I remembered he asked what university I came from and what am I gonna do after I graduated, and I answered without hesitate, “Saya pengen jadi diplomat, pak, di PBB.” That was the exact words. And to my surprise, he chuckled politely. He answered, “Jangan lupa sama Indonesia ya, mudah-mudahan nanti saya masih kuat jalan-jalan ke New York…”
A short, humble yet a very encouraging answer for me. It turns out it was my first and my last conversation with him.
Selamat jalan Pak Ali, may God bless your soul…
well, yeah, good for u because u’ve met him..
as i wrote on calvin’s note before, i lost one of my idol i never met.
semoga kita mahasiswa2 HI bisa melanjutkan jasa2 beliau..
rest in peace Mr. Ali…
Edna Tarigan
12 Dec 08 at 3:41 pm
Waaw..honey u’ve met him?
Go for your dream and the UN! Go go..!!
Mudah-mudahan visa saya masih berlaku untuk mengunjungi kamu di New York
Cherika
12 Dec 08 at 3:49 pm
You’ve meet Condoleezza Rice?????? Haha mari mencari magang di UN
Raisa
12 Dec 08 at 9:41 pm
Bebek, kok gambarnya pecah? Btw, layout-nya bagusan yang kemarin..hehe.
*maaf komen ga nyambung sama isi tulisan
hapsari sekar adi
14 Dec 08 at 8:49 pm
i send my deep condolence for Pak Ali Alatas too.
though i’m not a diplomat and never been a international relation student but i second the values of diplomacy. i remembered Pak Ali’s saying “diplomacy is like playing cards, never show your cards but drop them one by one”
yonna
15 Dec 08 at 11:29 am
Indonesia terus kehilangan putra-putri terbaiknya.
Selamat jalan Pak Ali Alatas!
Semoga hilang satu tumbuh seribu. Amin
Verdinand
15 Dec 08 at 8:46 pm
may God richly bless him, may the rest of the family find peace and the lost one rest in peace.
mahel
15 Dec 08 at 8:53 pm
Wow, you met him.
May he rest in peace, we shall never really forget all the great things he’s done for this country. Instead, we (at least, some of us here), who dream to be diplomat, may take him as an example of great diplomat.
bung tobing
15 Dec 08 at 9:18 pm
@Sherwin
Yes, I’m very grateful that I have the opportunity to met him. Mr. Ali sure is an ideal role model for our future diplomats, God bless him.
Andika
17 Dec 08 at 8:30 pm
@Mahel
Amiiiin…
@Verdinand
Mudah-mudahan generasi baru diplomat Indonesia bisa melahirkan diplomat-diplomat sekelas Pak Ali Alatas. Amiin..
@Yonna
Couldn’t agree more! Diplomacy is very much needed in this very volatile time of our world…
@Hapsari
iya nih, pas foto kayanya yang megang kameranya goyang deh..maaf agak blur..hehe..layout yang kemaren bosen..dan agak repot ngurusnya. Jadi make yg lebih minimalis aja..hehe..
Andika
17 Dec 08 at 8:53 pm
@Raisa
Mu nyusul?? mari loh ditunggu….hehehe…
Yes I met her too..!
@Cherika
I will honey!
@Edna
Salah satu penghormatan kita untuk beliau adalah untuk terus memelihara jasa-jasa beliau dan mengikuti semangatnya…may he rest in peace…
Andika
17 Dec 08 at 8:56 pm
kak boleh tau emailnya gaaa?
mau kenal dong aku jg mau jadi diplomat kaya pak ali alatas mau mengharumkan nama bangsa,,
kaya adam malik jg
my dream
risa
27 Jan 09 at 5:10 pm
Boleh..good to know ada yg tertarik juga jadi diplomat..hehe..
andikaputraditama[at]hotmail.com
Andika
27 Jan 09 at 6:52 pm