Issues in developing regions more interesting, dynamic: Primo

Tony Hotland ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 02/27/2008 12:08 PM

It was more than 30 years ago that Primo Alui Joelianto got his big "break" at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, in 1976 as a mail courier.

Even now, he finds it hard to believe he is director general for Asia-Pacific and African affairs, dealing with 127 countries on three continents.

"And there are only 192 (states) in the UN," he said looking bewildered, as if he had just realized how large the coverage of his office was.

The office covers Indonesia's relations with 52 states in Asia Pacific, 22 in the Middle East and 53 in Africa.

His office represents the ministry at countless multilateral conferences, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORAC), the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), the Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Growth Triangle and the Asian Cooperation Dialog (ACD).

"Luckily, I have help from six very reliable directors with whom I have constant daily communication and who help me make decisions.

"They directly assess all information and then make summaries for me. That's how I've survived in this job," Primo said with a laugh.

There are six directors under his office, five respectively assigned to East Asia and Pacific, South and Central Asia, Middle East, Africa, Intra-Regional Cooperation, and one secretary.

Primo said it was common for his department, comprised of 150 staff, to receive daily reports on countries as distant as Senegal and as tiny as Yemen.

Daily updates from Indonesian representatives overseas and foreign embassies, he said, were also part and parcel of the job.

"I could be working from 5:30 a.m. all the way until 8 p.m., and I would still be packing up those reports to work on at home," he said.

Primo said the vast quantities of reports that needed analysis, what he claimed to be the most challenging part of the job, were due to the nature of the 127 nations that sent them, many of which are developing and stricken by civil war.

"We receive updates from countries in these parts of the world more than others because conflicts, including bloody ones, are pretty much a daily occurrence there."

"Thus, they're far more interesting and dynamic compared to those in developed regions such as in Europe and America, although, I'm not saying the latter are any easier to deal with," he said.

Or, more probably, Primo was just being how he, and all Foreign Ministry officials, were taught to be in class -- diplomatic.

Before his appointment to the ministry, Primo, 58, served as director for East Asia and the Pacific, and in 2004 he became ambassador to New Zealand for two years. He has been assigned to a number of postings, including Brazil, Venezuela, Algeria and France.

Despite having to deal with issues in more than 100 countries, Primo said he had yet to visit many of them, owing in part to a lack of relations with certain countries and also to his busy schedule.

"Really, there's a lot of countries to cover. I've only been in this post for roughly two years as of March 2008, so hopefully I'll have time to do all that. I'd like to see Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Angola and Kenya," he said.

In between his regular travels overseas (he said he once was in Jakarta only for four days in a month), Primo said he liked playing tennis and singing karaoke.

"I try to play tennis on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I enjoy karaoke a lot and I also play the guitar," he said.

Asked if there was anything lacking from his office, Primo answered training programs.

"I think training is very crucial for personal development. That's what I would want to see more of within this ministry."

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