A diplomat is a representative of a country and an actor of foreign politics. He should represent foreign policy established by his country. In a public lecture of International Relations of Unversitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) on Monday (16/5) at A.R. Fachruddin A, floor 5, UMY, Ambassador of Indonesia to Thailand M. Lutfi Rauf stated that as a diplomat is demanded to recognize the priority of foreign politics upheld by government of Indonesia.

Lutfi mentioned that one of the foreign politic priorities in Jokowi’s era is to secure territorial integrity or Indonesia. “Besides, the other priority is to protect Indonesian people as well as economic diplomacy, and to foster roles of Indonesia in developing areas and global issues,” Lutfi conveyed.

Lutfi said that the other duty of a diplomat is to promote his country well. Nevertheless, it is the duty of not only a diplomat but also all Indonesian people. The promotion is dealing with economy, education, culture, and others.

Promotion of various sectors in Indonesia has been undertaken by a number of Indonesian students living abroad. “They promote culture and education of Indonesia. It is essential since it can attract foreign students to come to Indonesia,” he told.

A diplomat should be able to overcome issues of Indonesian people living overseas. He argued that the citizen living abroad should be able to feel like home. “For instance, in a terror issue in Bangkok, Embassy of Indonesia has to provide precise information, and Indonesian citizens in Thailand may not believe information of untrusted resources. They may only trust to the embassy of Indonesia. The Indonesian citizens should not be worried since the embassy will maintain their security. Thus, a diplomat should assist citizens to resolve their problem. When they have problems, they know where to go,” Lutfi said.

Students should possess two aspects to be a diplomat, namely endeavor and insatiable feeling. “Students may not satisfy after achieving bachelor’s degree. they have to continue their study and attempt to reach their dreams,” he emphasized.

A diplomat should be able to create a good image of a country and it needs long process. He ought to have ability to speak and to negotiate, and the capability can be gained through the long process. Therefore, the diplomat should persevere to undergoing the process.

Mastering foreign languages is the other vital factor to compete in this globalization era. He told that Thai people have commenced to learn foreign languages such as Indonesian since Indonesia is considered as an economic-potential country in the future.

“Thai people believe that being able to speak Indonesia enable them to speak to 200 million people. After mastering Indonesian, they can easily learn the language of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. This notion has not come on Indonesian people’s mind. Hence, we should learn foreign languages,” he stressed.