November 3, 2015 edition
A little over one year ago, author Goenawan Mohamad in righteous anger pointed out to the Goethe Institute in Jakarta that Indonesia had done nothing to prepare for the Frankfurt Book Fair. "You gave us five years' notice. It is now year four and nothing has been done. A new government will be in place, with no time to attend to a book fair, however important. So I suggest, with due respect, that the German ambassador offer this honorable opportunity to Malaysia instead," he said, shocking participants at the meeting. The tables were turned. Goenawan was offered the position to chair the national committee to the prestigious event.
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September 15, 2015 edition
Rizal Sukma
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IT will be like strolling down memory lane for Rizal Sukma and his wife Hana Satriyo when they leave for the bright lights of London soon. Rizal, who is executive director of the Center for Strategic International Studies and presidential advisor on foreign policy, was recently appointed the Indonesian ambassador for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Rizal got his PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics, while Hana, who is currently director for environmental governance and the gender focal point at the Asia Foundation in Jakarta, got her Masters degree at the School for Oriental and Asian Studies in international politics of Asia. But it will be a far cry from their carefree student days in the late 1900s. This time around, there will be more diplomatic duties filled with protocol. For sure, they will not need too much briefing or orientation on life in London, recalling well the ins and outs of the city. So, we bid them selamat jalan and selamat bertugas.
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