Hungary’s Youngest Ambassador Aiming High in Indonesia

Jakarta Globe, Sylviana Hamdani, Jul 15, 2015

Judit Nemeth-Pach is Hungary's youngest
ambassador who is currently serving a three-year
term in Indonesia. (The Peak Photo/Sylviana Hamdani)

Jakarta. Hungarian Ambassador to Indonesia Judit Nemeth-Pach looked fabulous in her lemon-hued dress and red velvet stilettos that afternoon. Her generous smiles, however, outshone her vibrant attire.

At 32, Nemeth-Pach is currently the youngest ambassador from Hungary. She started her career in the government in 2005 at just 22 years old.

“I started as one of the president’s staff for press and communication matters,” said the ambassador.

She was soon promoted as the president’s spokesperson, a key position in the government that required her to venture across the globe.

And in 2008, her duties took her to Indonesia.

“We met [former] President SBY [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono],” she said. “And we also went to see the volcano Tangkuban Parahu near Bandung [in West Java].”

And Nemeth-Pach was instantly captivated by the archipelago.

“I liked it very, very much,” she said. “For me, I’ve traveled with the president to a lot of places. And to be very honest, Indonesia just stole my heart. I loved it at first sight.”

Therefore, when a chance to be posted as the Hungarian ambassador to Indonesia arrived, Nemeth-Pach gladly accepted.

Her husband, an outdoor enthusiast, was also very excited of her new position.

“He was the one with the ‘Lonely Planet’ [ travel guide book], marking all the places that we should visit [in Indonesia],” she recalled with a laugh.

And when the Nemeth-Pachs arrived in Jakarta in January this year, they truly embraced the country.

“We see that it’s such a fantastic country in a [...] lot of ways,” she said.

Upon her arrival, the ambassador wasted no time in taking Indonesian language lessons.

“Saya mulai belajar Bahasa [I've started to learn the language],” she said, displaying her new skills. “Tapi saya bicara sedikit [But I can only speak it a little bit].”

Both husband and wife, who are vegans, also love Indonesian cuisine.

“Gado-gado is one of our favorites, but also lontong, the rice-cakes,” she said. “We love sate tahu [tofu sate] and sate jamur [mushroom sate].”

Avid rock climbers, the couple also had the chance to treck one of the most beautiful sites in Indonesia, the Harau Valley, West Sumatra, in May 2015.

“My husband and I really enjoyed it,” she said.

The ambassador was also smitten with Indonesia’s traditional dances.

“The dances, they mesmerize me,” she said. “In every island, in every region, you have different types of dances. Everything is completely different when you just travel 100 kilometers away.”

And with each passing year, her love for the archipelago only deepens.

“Indonesia is more than interesting,” she said. “It’s the melting pot of so many religions and cultures. It’s fascinating how Indonesia can incorporate all these. It makes Indonesia a very special country that’s very close to my heart.”

Nemeth-Pach also sees that the people of Indonesia and Hungary are very much alike.

“Our mindsets are really, really [similar],” she said, elaborating that the two nations share a similar historical background.

Between 1946 and 1989, Hungary was under the strong influence of what was then the Soviet Union.

“It threw us back 45 years,” she said. “After the change of the regime, we faced difficulties again, but this time economically.

“A lot of well-developed Western companies entered the now free market and practically monopolized some of our public sectors.”

“We’ve faced the same challenges that Indonesia is now facing,” she added. “That’s why we say that we understand what you’re sometimes feeling here.”

With similar mindsets, the ambassador believes that Indonesia and Hungary could engage in further collaborations in trade and economics.

“Now our trade is really marginal, compared to what it can be,” she explained. “We can do much better, because in Hungary, there is a great demand for tropical fruits, tea, cacao and coffee.”

Currently, the main problem for exports from Indonesia to Europe is the distribution channel.

“In Indonesia, a lot of companies are thinking in old-fashion way, to send everything through shipping routes from centuries ago, and from there, to be distributed throughout Europe,” she said. “But you see, Europe is so big. Sometimes, it’s be easier if you focus on some places in Central Europe.”

“When you want to reach Central and East Europe, which is a huge market, Hungary would be the perfect hub,” the ambassador added.

Hungary, in turn, could assist Indonesia in technology.

“For IT, one company that’s very good is Trasset,” she said. “Trasset is a Hungarian company, which is providing treasury software for banks and shariah banks. They have already closed deals with Danamon and other banks in Indonesia.”

Another company currently in negotiations with the provincial government of Jakarta is  Budapest Waterworks.

“They’re experts in cleaning water,” she said. “But they’re also managing the whole water cycle.”

In Budapest, for example, the company filters wastewater to produce clean water. And the resulting mud and filth are transformed into biogas to sustain the wastewater plant.

“So, [the plant] is totally self-sustainable,” she said. “And nothing is wasted.”

Budapest Waterworks has also won the tender of the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works to provide clean water to 35 villages in Indonesia.

“It’s really good news,” Nemeth-Pach said enthusiastically. “They’re bringing the technology [from Hungary], but they’re also building it together with Indonesian companies. The logistics, the pipelines, will be done by Indonesian companies.”

Hungary is also planning to provide 50 full scholarships for Indonesian graduate and postgraduate students in the field of agriculture, engineering, economics and medicine.

Additionally, Hungary and Indonesia are planning to join hands in creating research groups that will allow the two countries to learn more from one another.

“There are some scientific fields in which Indonesia is very advanced,” she said. “We could have, for example, agricultural research together, or [research] in fisheries.”

“We [would need] new exchange programs, [a memorandum of understanding] between universities, and also on the [government-to-government] level, enhance tour relationship,” the ambassador added.

Nemeth-Pach will serve in Indonesia for three years, by the end of which she hopes to have boosted the image of Hungary among Indonesians.

“Our [tourism] slogan says, ‘Hungary is more than expected’, and it definitely is,” she said.

“We’re not just some small country in Central Europe; we’re small, but we have so much power [and] so many [accomplishments].”

Hungary has won a total of 16 Nobel prizes in the fields of chemistry, physics, literature and medicine.

“I believe have one of the highest [number of Nobel Prize winners] compared to our population,” she said, adding that the European nations is home to 10 million people.

“In the European Union, we’re among the eight countries that could reduce state debt in [the current] economic situation,” she said. “And besides, we have a [gross domestic product] growth that is higher than the EU average.

“From such a small country, it’s such a big achievement.”

Forbes magazine has even ranked Budapest second in the list of capitals home to the most IT start-ups.

“So, when you want to be creative in IT, you go to Budapest,” Nemeth-Pach said.

The capital city also has plenty to offer in terms of tourism.

“Apart from our culture and historical sites, we have a lot of Art Nouveau buildings to see in Budapest,” she added. “[The city has] around 15 thermal baths, which are like spas.

“Our hot springs [contain] water with different types of minerals, which can cure both chronic and acute diseases and provide relaxation and stress relief.”

“What I really want to achieve is [for] Hungary to have this image as a vibrant face of Europe, a new hub to enter the European market, [and for Indonesia] take part in our creative, new ways of thinking,” Nemeth-Pach said.

The Peak