Open Letter To Din.

Open Letter To:

YB Dato Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman,

Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Indonesia.

Dear YB,

After much reflection and in spite of impulsively protesting earlier about your appointment as our nation’s top envoy to Indonesia I have come to terms with this unique situation. I realise that I am somewhat envious about your appointment as, although younger than you, I have been put firmly in the retired category for some years now. May I congratulate you on this most important appointment to the most important country in our neighbourhood. I wish you great success in this prized diplomatic assignment and trust that your health and spirit of endeavour will enable you to carry out and complete this mission satisfactorily. Jakarta is one the world’s most important and active diplomatic centres attracting more than a hundred resident diplomatic missions. Indonesia is also set to become a global economic powerhouse in the not-too-distant future.

You may have realised that in accepting this ambassadorial appointment you are following in the footsteps of several illustrious compatriots including Tan Sri Senu Abdul Rahman, Dato Kamaruddin bin Hj Idris, Tan Srinal Abidin bin Sulong, Tan Sri Yaacob Latiff, Dato Dali M Hashim and others. Tan Sri Senu was a particularly interesting choice to be our first ambassador to Jakarta. He had been trained as a teacher at SITC in Tanjong Malim but decided later to abandon his teaching life and pursue the proper study of English and a degree at a university in California. After obtaining his degree he worked as a liaison officer at the New York office of the Indonesian Permanent Mission to the United Nations. That experience enabled him to get to know many key leaders of Indonesia especially top officials of Deplu.

On Indonesia’s part the first ambassador they appointed was Pak Mohamad Razif. The reason he was chosen was that he had known Tunku Abdul Rahman, our first prime minister from the early part of 1952 after the Tunku relocated to Johor Baru when he had been elected the president of UMNO. The Tunku got to know many diplomats and journalists based in Singapore. Pak Razif was one of them. Another was Mr Wee Kim Wee who had in the 1950s headed the United Press Association bureau in Singapore. Mr Wee subsequently became Singapore’s high commissioner in Kuala Lumpur and president of his island republic.

These appointments are highlighted to show how important personal acumen, ties and associations in diplomacy matter in the long term.

As a contemporary of yours at the then only university in the country I recall we were privileged to be taught by several outstanding academics including Pak Lutfi Abas and Pak Umar Junus. They gave us a good grounding of the Indonesian language and literature. With this kind of a background and your long exposure to the public service you are well equipped to carry out this important assignment. However as someone who has been in the foreign service I can share with you some of my misgivings about this appointment.

I was a diplomat for Malaysia in the pre-1MDB era. Malaysia was looked up to in the early days up to the early 1980s. The decline and denouement of Malaysia began with the removal of Tun Salleh Abas and other well respected Supreme Court judges in 1988. When the AFC began affecting the region we fell a further notch or two when our currency got pegged to the US dollar. After nearly two decades of sermons about the decadent West we pegged our currency to the US dollar! The value of the Malaysian Ringgit has not recovered from the AFC suggesting that our public service salaries and pensions have fallen from those early heady days. That simply meant that the edge Malaysians had over their counterparts in other Southeast Asian countries was gradually dissipating. Our Vision 2020 has also had to be buried unceremoniously. Now with two years of continuous court room drama involving our two brothers, junior in age but not in ambition, authority and avariciousness, both a former prime minister and his deputy, the acts of corruption and embezzlement have been given a free public airing. More threateningly the delicate state of our democratic credentials with the second unelected leader in prime ministerial office is casting a pall over the whole nation.

Hence, Brother you are commencing your diplomatic mission in our most important neighbour with several disadvantages. Indonesia is a country which has a large presence in our country. We owe our success in several key infrastructural and economic development projects to the role played by Indonesian workers, unsung heroes in our midst. We have to learn, as a nation, to respect and acknowledge the contribution of these Indonesian and other foreign workers. Our authorities must be educated and equipped to treat these foreign workers with decency and proper decorum. Most importantly these foreign workers and visitors must feel secure in our country. Something that happened to Altantuya Shaaribu, when I was ambassador to her country, should never happen to a foreigner. It makes the job of an ambassador extremely difficult.

When events involving sensational and sleazy events in Kuala Lumpur are reported in Jakarta you may feel miffed and tempted to reply. I would urge you not to react or reply because I know you have not had or lack any media response expertise or training. Just hold your head low and carry on as if nothing has happened. When we are based overseas we sometimes cannot fathom what is happening in our home country. Silence and a smile is the better part of discretion in that situation. Kindly rely on the officers provided by Wismaputra and the Trade, Tourism Ministry and use them to obtain information and to get things done. If in doubt please telephone the Respective KSU and he or she will provide reliable counsel.

But there is one thing you can do. Please report all these matters, especially the negative ones faithfully to the Prime Minister so that he or she is aware of what is being said and written about our beloved country. In our system the prime minister is over invested with power to alter the course of events.

We have to hope fervently that while you are based in Jakarta our local conditions of a political, economic and social nature will improve and your Indonesian hosts will accept that Malaysia is on the mend .

With best wishes and salaams to the family.

M Santhananaban

Malaysian Foreign Service(1972-2008)