Jakarta Globe, Sylviana Hamdani, Jul 15, 2015
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| Judit Nemeth-Pach is Hungary's youngest ambassador who is currently serving a three-year term in Indonesia. (The Peak Photo/Sylviana Hamdani) |
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
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