‘The Right Place At The Right Time’: Dutch Ambassador Caps Career In Malaysia

By Nur Atiq Maisarah Suhaimi

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 (Bernama) -- When diplomat Jacques Werner requested Kuala Lumpur as the final posting of his diplomatic career, it was a choice shaped by decades of fond memories of Malaysia, a country he now plans to call home after retirement.

For the Netherlands Ambassador to Malaysia, securing this final assignment was the culmination of a wish he had harboured for years. The opportunity to serve in Kuala Lumpur was something Werner and his wife had hoped for since his earlier posting as ambassador to Singapore more than a decade ago.

“We had visited Malaysia a good number of times from Singapore, and we both looked at each other and said, well, if we can have this posting in Kuala Lumpur one day, that would be great, and it came my way as a last posting. So we're very happy. It lived up completely to our expectations,” he told Bernama recently.

Yet Werner's connection with Malaysia stretches back to 1988 when, as a junior Dutch foreign ministry officer, he visited Pulau Bidong, Terengganu, as part of a refugee resettlement mission involving Vietnamese boat refugees.

The visit left a lasting impression and marked the beginning of a relationship with Malaysia that would eventually bring him back as ambassador decades later.

Werner, who is set to conclude his tenure in Kuala Lumpur in August and retire after a 43-year diplomatic career, said he and his wife had no immediate plans to return to the Netherlands and instead intended to continue enjoying life here.

“We're going to stay, and we're going to enjoy the Asian food every day.

“But of course we will travel a lot after retirement as well, since our children are not in the Netherlands. There is no urgent need to go back, although our families live there and we'd love to see them every now and then,” he said.

“The best Nasi Lemak in the world is here, and we all know,” he added.

As he prepares to bring down the curtain on a diplomatic career spanning more than four decades, Werner likened each overseas posting to a train journey.

“I come here for four years. It's like a train. I jump on the train, I do it for four years, I jump off,” he said.

Werner, who arrived in Malaysia in September 2022, said he had been impressed by the country's rapid progress during his time in Malaysia, particularly in economic development, sustainability efforts and bilateral cooperation.

“It's very nice to see Malaysia going so fast in so many ways. The economy is booming. The bilateral relationship is doing very well,” he said.

He said developments over the past few years had further reinforced his belief that Malaysia and Southeast Asia were increasingly important in a changing global landscape.

“I'm so happy we made that choice because the geopolitical conditions that arose in the past two or three years make this the best place on the globe to be.

“There is a positive agenda here in this part of Asia and of the world. It's fantastic to be here to see how the European Union, ASEAN and Malaysia can work together better in these challenging times. I feel I'm at the right place at the right time,” he said.

--BERNAMA