Abdul Irsan (14 October 193913 March 2013) was an Indonesian career diplomat who has held multiple positions in the foreign ministry and abroad. He was Indonesia's ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, and Samoa from 1992 to 1993, to the Netherlands from 1998 to 2002, and to Japan and Micronesia from 2002 to 2006. Within the foreign ministry, he has held senior positions such as the director general of protocol and consular affairs from 1993 to 1995 and secretary general from 1995 to 1998.
Early life and education Abdul Irsan was born on October 14, 1939, in Sampang, Madura. During his childhood, he witnessed the occupation of Malang during the Dutch's Operation Product in 1947, which he later described as traumatizing. Abdul completed high school in Malang in July 1958 and moved to Jakarta by September of the same year. He initially planned to apply for the Physical Education Academy (now the sports faculty of the Indonesia University of Education) in Bandung, but figured out he already passed the deadline. He then joined his friends from Malang who applied for law at the University of Indonesia. As a college student, Abdul partied so much in his first year that he forgot to take exams as a prerequisite to pass. He quickly refocused himself and received his law degree from the University of Indonesia in the March of 1964. Contrary to most students at that time, Abdul refused to join student political movement or any extra-university organizations and opposed the presence of students with political affiliations within student senates.
After graduation, Abdul and his friends applied for the prosecution service. Upon passing the examination process, Abdul was given the choice to be posted in either Palangka Raya or Salatiga, and was given a month to thoroughly consider his choice. While mulling over his choice of posting, a friend invited him to apply for the foreign department while passing by the department's office in Pejambon. He was accepted as a diplomat on 1 June 1964 and withdrew from the prosecution.
Diplomatic career
Directorate of Protocol Abdul's initial assignment was at the protocol directorate, with a wage of 2,800 rupiahs (). As his wage was barely enough to cover his daily living, he and his friends took odd jobs servicing families who just returned from abroad. His side income was sufficient for him to live comfortably for a month or two. Unlike most directorates in the department at that time, relations between diplomats in the directorate were much more cordial and less hierarchical.
Within the directorate, Abdul was the chief of dispensations section. As Indonesia was undergoing a confrontation with Malaysia, diplomats in Jakarta who wanted to visit Malaysia or Singapore had to obtain exemption from the foreign department in the form of a diplomatic note. The diplomats usually visit Malaysia and Singapore for health purposes due to the subpar medical facilities in Indonesia at that time. The section was also responsible for informing regional governments regarding plans of visit to a certain region by diplomats. Diplomats in Jakarta frequently criticized the practice of requiring access from Abdul's section, as they felt that the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations provided them diplomatic immunity to travel within their host country. Abdul often exchanged information and opinion during engagements with diplomats of other countries, as the flow of information were strictly limited at that time. Abdul and his colleagues were more frequently invited by foreign diplomats for a meal at their official residence and embassies, rather than the inverse.
In 1966, Abdul was tasked to lead a number of protocol officers to Bali in light of the Bandung Conference decennial. One of the challenges he faced was installing thirty flags of the participating countries in accordance to international protocol, which was made difficult due to the heavy winds. On another occasion, the protocol directorate's decision to send Abdul as a protocol officer in company of President Sukarno at the 2nd Asia-Africa conference in Algiers on 29 June 1965 sparked controversy, as some protocol officers felt that it was unfair to send someone as junior as him for an overseas assignment. Abdul attempted to withdrew to prevent stirring up further controversy, but his request was rejected and Abdul remained in the president's Algiers entourage. Upon arriving in Cairo on the morning of 29 June, the entourage was informed of a coup d'état going on in Algeria, and after some consultations with other heads of state Sukarno decided to cancel his presence. Sukarno then stayed for two nights in Paris, conducting discussion with ambassadors of West European countries regarding geopolitical developments. In Paris, Abdul's junior status was brought up again when a senior diplomat questioned his presence in the president's entourage.
Shortly prior to the 30 September Movement which overthrew Sukarno, in July 1965 Abdul was tasked to accompany a group of acupuncturist from China who was sent to treat President Sukarno. The presence of the acupuncturist became a point of controversy, with some claiming it as a hoax, and was later used as one of the justification to remove Sukarno from power. As the foreign minister at that time, Subandrio, was arrested on the grounds of orchestrating the movement, the foreign department's intelligence agency became a target of protest, with students later occupying the foreign department complex.
Sukarno remained a figurehead president until his eventual removal from office in 1967, and despite his nominal positions foreign ambassadors frequently invited him for dinner. Sometime in October or November 1966, Sukarno was invited for a dinner by the Argentine ambassador at the ambassador's official residence. Abdul was the only one willing to accompany Sukarno as the protocol officer, as almost everyone in the directorate refused to take on the task with various reasons. Abdul tried to justify his participation by stating that his junior status would not cause trouble in the future, and that he did it as part of his responsibility rather than for political reasons. After the dinner, Sukarno patted his left shoulder and looked at him for a few second. The assignment became his last encounter with Sukarno until Sukarno's death in 1970.
Basic diplomatic education Sometime between September and October 1966, Abdul successfully applied to take part in a one-year diplomatic course at the Institut International d'Administration Publique (IIAP). Although the cultural section of the French embassy mandated his presence in Paris by mid-December, Abdul was allowed to arrive later in January next year as he was waiting for the birth of his first children. After transiting in Saigon for an hour, he arrived in Paris on 7 January 1967 and was immediately driven by his colleague to the Indonesian embassy, where he stayed for the night before managing administration and accommodation. In July 1967, Abdul was summoned by the Indonesian embassy's chief of culture and education section, and was informed that the French government planned to extend the course to 26 months, including a training program at a French embassy overseas. After two days of mulling over the option, Abdul refused to undergo the extension, citing family and financial reasons. Despite threat from the foreign department's director general of special affairs Major-General Chaeruddin Tasning for him to "comply with the arrangements or withdraw from the foreign service", as well as similar advice from his colleagues and the embassy, Abdul persisted with his decision, and in September 1967 returned to Jakarta.
After returning to Jakarta, Abdul reported to Chaeruddin, who immediately recognized his face as Chaeruddin frequently hitched the protocol directorate's car, which was driven by Abdul for state events. After explaining his reason, Chaeruddin eventually understood and recommended him to attend the general basic course for foreign service officer (Susdubat, Kursus Dasar Umum Pejabat Dinas Luar Negeri), which at that time was on its second semester. His nine-month IIAP course would be registered as his first semester in the Susdubat. His friends, who prepared a farewell ceremony for his withdrawal from the foreign service, was flabbergasted upon seeing Abdul leaving Chaeruddin's room with a bright face.
Assignment in Bangkok Abdul completed Susdubat in 1968. The department's director of Asia-Pacific affairs, Soepardjo Rustam, attempted to recruit Susdubat graduates to be posted at embassies in Asia-Pacific countries. Only Abdul and another diplomat answered Supardjo's appeal, as most of his colleagues were reluctant due to the raging conflict in the Indochina region, which they fear could spread to other Asian countries. Abdul was then assigned at the embassy in Bangkok, with him departing on 4 Juni 1968. His family followed a month later. As a junior diplomat, he served with the diplomatic rank of third secretary in the political section under Sunarso Wongsonegoro (later ambassador to the Holy See), whom he credited for teaching him diplomatic manners and gave him a multitude of opportunities without restraints. He was later promoted to second secretary after a few years of service. In 1971, President Suharto and First Lady Siti Hartinah visited Thailand, and Abdul was put in charge of protocol matters during the state visit in relations to his prior experience. During the visit, Abdul personally accompanied Siti Hartinah during her visit to the Usawadee Rose Garden.
Due to his juniority, Abdul described himself being treated as a "garbage bin" for all sorts of instructions and duties, which he later credited for speeding up his learning process. As he was never invited to take part in the embassy's diplomatic circles, he and other diplomats from other countries initiated a Wednesday Club, where junior diplomats would gather every Wednesday to discuss all sorts of international issues as well as social initiatives. The Wednesday Club attracted attention from embassies, and club members was frequently invited to diplomatic functions and events. On one occasion, Abdul was frequently approached by a Soviet diplomat named Viktor Mizin, who somehow figured out her wife's birthday and sent her flowers on her birthday. It was later revealed that Mizin was a KGB operative who was declared persona non grata for espionage activities.
In the inspectorate general and ICCS