Ali Alatas served his country well

Ali Alatas, 76, passed away in Singapore yesterday. The former Indonesian Foreign Minister may be remembered for vigorously defending his country’s occupation of East Timor, but to many, Pak Ali will be missed as an intelligent and wise diplomat.

ALI Alatas (pic) wore big glasses, a toothy smile and was extremely polite and patient. And for more than a decade, he was the most sought-after foreign minister by journalists covering Asean or other regional meetings.

During his tenure as foreign minister between 1988 and 1999, Pak Ali, as he was fondly called, would always welcome the attention of the ever hungry media.

Thanks to the “lax security” during the Asean-related meetings back then, the soft-spoken man would always make it a point to stop outside the meeting room and take great pains to explain to curious reporters what happened during closed-door sessions.

Alatas died of a heart attack yesterday in Singapore. He was 76.

Sadly, he would not be able to see the fruit of his labour, the Asean Charter, which will formally come into force at a ceremony in Jakarta on Monday.

He had been invited to the event to be graced by all foreign ministers of the 10-member grouping. Alatas was a member of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) which had drafted the charter to institutionalise the 41-year-old grouping.

A Jakarta based diplomat who served as a journalist at the annual Asean Ministerial Meeting in Jakarta in 1996 recalled how Alatas handled a reporter who hassled him during a press conference on Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor.

“The reporter continued attacking Pak Ali on East Timor but the ever gracious foreign minister told him that if both of them continue to spar on the matter, other journalists will not have the opportunity to pose questions.

Alatas, it seemed told the reporter that if he wanted to continue asking questions on East Timor, he would be willing to have a separate session.

“You know how the rest of the media corp reacted? Everybody clapped. That is Pak Ali for you,” said the diplomat.

Nobody can argue that Alatas knew the region very well, its political landscape, diplomacy and the different dynamics of each country.

Those who have attended Asean meetings would say that Alatas could bring everybody to reach a consensus.

“It was not easy to get everyone to agree during some of these meetings. But when Pak Ali spoke, he would not be pushy.

“In his own gentle way he would try to get the message across, unlike others who would be more vocal and direct without really understanding the background,” said a diplomat.

Tun Musa Hitam, who worked together with Alatas on the Asean EPG and recently the Indonesia-Malaysia EPG, said Indonesia had lost an illustrious son.

“He was a strong personality, fulfilling and challenging to argue with.

“He had strong regional views and was an active participant of the EPG. As for me personally, I have lost a close friend,” Musa said.

Alatas started his working life as a journalist in 1952.

He held the post of information and cultural relations director, Indonesian embassy in Washington, before moving up the rank in the foreign ministry serving in Geneva and New York

He served as foreign minister under presidents Suharto and BJ Habibie.

Alatas’s body was flown from Singapore to Jakarta for burial at Jakarta’s Heroes Cemetery today.

- The Star