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Veronica Tan, Jakarta Women's March and making a difference
Do first ladies always have to be wives of the president? No, they can also be the wife of a governor, like Veronica Tan, who is married to Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, making her the First Lady of Jakarta.
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Veronica Tan, head of The Council for National Handicrafts Indonesia (Dekranasda) with workshop participants at Jakarta Creative Hub, Central Jakarta on Wednesday. (JP/Masajeng Rahmiasri)
L
ady Bird Johnson, wife of the 36th president of the United States, once quipped: “The first lady is an unpaid public servant elected by one person — her husband.”
Nevertheless, due to their visibility and position, they are under the microscope as much as the men who “elected” them.
Tough luck for Melania Trump, who is reportedly miserable under the intense scrutiny she is getting just because she’s (unlucky enough to be) married to Donald.
Such was not the case with her predecessor, Michelle Obama, who embraced the role with grace and enthusiasm. One of the most visible, popular and activist first ladies of our time, I wondered initially — as many others may have — if such a strong, independent, smart, modern woman, could be the nation’s FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States).
The position essentially meant giving up her own career and taking on a new one, which was not her choice. Not only did she graduate from Princeton and Harvard, she was Barack’s mentor at the law firm where she worked. And now she has to play a “secondary” role to her husband? I mean, she’s as alpha as he is!
After some initial awkwardness, she infused the role of FLOTUS with flair, charisma and a fun-loving spirit. During the election campaign, she proved herself to be a hell of a speaker too, a worthy counterpart to Barack, who is famous for his oratorical skills. A decade under the public microscope, amazingly, she has lived a public life without sacrificing her privacy and authenticity.
Yes, she made history by being the first African-American FLOTUS, but more importantly they both made history by setting an example as a democratic family where the love, respect and support is truly mutual and complementary. In the end, a democratic society starts with democracy in the family.
