Ibu Junisa,
Bapak Hassan Wirajuda and members of the Indonesian cabinet,
Bapak Dino Patti Djalal,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Thank you for inviting my wife and me to this remembrance dinner in celebration of the life and work of Bapak Ali Alatas.
I had the privilege of working closely with Pak Ali when we were both Foreign Ministers. He was already Indonesia's Foreign Minister for six years when I was appointed in 1994. I found him always warm, charming and never overbearing in his ways. Later, after we had both stepped down as Foreign Ministers, we continued to keep in touch as friends. Before long we found that we had to work together again, for example when we were both appointed to the Eminent Persons Group on the ASEAN Charter two years ago and also on another occasion when our Governments enlisted us in certain bilateral negotiations. It is over these many years of close interactions and collaboration that I came to know, respect and trust Pak Ali. I should add that it certainly helped that we shared a common passion for golf!
Pak Ali contributed significantly to the excellent state of bilateral relations between Indonesia and Singapore. As with any close neighbours, there were times when the going was not easy. But Pak Ali's steady hand always kept relations on an even keel. Pak Ali was a great champion of Indonesia's national interests, and never failed to put across Indonesia's position firmly on bilateral issues. However, he consciously refrained from pandering to the gallery, from resorting to megaphone diplomacy, and from subjugating the broader strategic interests of both countries to short-term political expediency. He advanced Indonesia's interests surely and firmly but at the same time always dealing with Singapore as a sovereign equal.
He was not just a diplomat. He was an intellectual with a natural curiosity of the world with the gift to express his thoughts on many subjects knowledgeably and often with a great sense of humour and witticism. He was also a sharp, skilful and formidable negotiator. He always fought hard for Indonesia's interests. Even while he placed his country's interests first, he did so fairly and in a manner which showed that he was willing to listen to the views of others and prepared to make compromises when necessary.
It is in ASEAN that I think Pak Ali made the most impact and left the most enduring imprint of his influence. Pak Ali never failed to defend ASEAN, and always tirelessly promoted it. He has toiled and contributed immensely to promote ASEAN integration and regional stability. He played a pivotal role in convening and then steering the Paris International Conference on Cambodia to success in 1991. He helped to broker a peace agreement between the Philippine Government and the Moro National Liberation Front in the southern Philippines in 1996. That Southeast Asia managed to enjoy a sustained period of peace and stability for the past two decades is due in no small part to Pak Ali's efforts in strengthening ASEAN. Even though he was the Foreign Minister of the largest country in the region, he always treated his ASEAN counterparts as equals. Always humble, his easy smile and his knack for forging consensus made him excel at bringing people together, even those who had strong disagreements with each other. This helped ensure that disagreements between ASEAN members never threatened to boil over.
Pak Ali was a visionary. He was one of the first to understand the necessity for ASEAN to engage key countries beyond the Southeast Asian region such as China, Japan and Korea. Pak Ali also saw the value of such dialogues and regional cooperation long before most people did. In the late 1990s, Pak Ali was already a staunch advocate of the idea of "enhanced interaction". When I had convened the first ever ASEAN FM's Retreat in Singapore in 1999, I telephoned him a few weeks prior to the meeting and asked him to set the tone by presenting his thoughts on the future of ASEAN. I vividly recall him at the retreat, highlighting the need for ASEAN to enhance its collective capacity in dealing with problems that originate in one country but have an impact on other ASEAN countries. In doing so, he showed great foresight and courage at a time when few appreciated the need for coordinated responses to transboundary problems, and when any perceived interference in one's domestic affairs was resisted robustly.
ASEAN continued to benefit from his insights and extensive experience as a member of the Eminent Persons' Group for the drafting of the ASEAN Charter. His contributions to the EPG were immense. From day one he produced a draft charter, which famously came to be known as the "Alatas draft". The draft, which he meticulously amended after every ASEAN EPG meeting, took into account the views of all the EPG members. It finally became the key document which we recommended to the ASEAN Leaders.
Even after his retirement as Foreign Minister, Pak Ali did not cease his efforts to advance the interests of his nation and the region. It is a testament to his invaluable contributions that he was appointed an advisor by former President Megawati, and then as Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Whenever the UN was looking for special envoys to head challenging diplomatic missions, Pak Ali's name would invariably be mentioned. He was a Special Envoy for former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Anan for Myanmar. He was also recruited to be a member of the UN High Level Group on the Alliance of Civilisations whose mission was to promote understanding among different cultures across the globe.
When I got news that he was hospitalised in Singapore in November 2008, I called Ibu Junisa and asked about him. I was hesitant to visit as he was still in the ICU but Ibu Jun said, "Please come, he is looking forward to seeing you". I promptly visited him and although he was in the ICU, Pak Ali in his usual self, managed to keep up his good spirits. I said I would visit him again. When I came back to Singapore from leave, I contacted Ibu Jun and we arranged for my wife and me to visit him again on Thursday 11 December 2008, but sadly he had passed away that very morning. Pak Ali's work also brought him into contact with other Singaporean leaders, all of whom came to develop lasting friendships with him. When Pak Ali was hospitalised last month, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, Foreign Minister George Yeo were among his many other friends in Singapore who visited him in hospital.
Pak Ali's passing and the outpouring of so many tributes from dignitaries from Indonesia, Singapore, and the region and beyond is testament to the far-reaching deep respect and admiration that Pak Ali commanded in his lifetime. As President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono so aptly put it, Indonesia has lost, "a teacher and guardian" and "one of its best sons". For myself, I have lost a close colleague, an esteemed counterpart and a dear friend of many years.
Let me end by saying that we should also not forget that Pak Ali's life was rich and fulfilling not only in the public realm, but in his private life as well. He was a loving husband to Ibu Junisa and a doting father and grandfather to his children and grandchildren. So, Jun, we share your family's grief at his passing, but we also share your pride in his achievements and legacy.
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