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Letter: My correspondence with Barack Obama
Rudolf Mrazak, 66, a professor of history at the University of Michigar Ann Arbor, was in the city and came to see me on the morning of Aug
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Rudolf Mrazak, 66, a professor of history at the University of Michigar Ann Arbor, was in the city and came to see me on the morning of Aug. 17.
The last time we saw each other was in 1996 at the Hague attending an international conference held by the Dutch Historical Society. Since he has written a book about Sjahrir and Tan Malaka: Politics and Exile in Indonesia, (1994), he presented a paper about the two leaders from the land of Minangkabau, West Sumatra, whom he said were born to be exiles. Meanwhile, I was asked to present my paper on the Indonesian press during the revolution.
During his visit to my house, Mrazak talked about the coming American presidential elections. He mentioned the years Senator Barack Obama had spent in Menteng Jakarta during his childhood, some 40 years ago.
He got the idea that I should write an e-mail to Obama asking him about his Menteng experience. Although Obama claims he is a Christian, there are Americans who believe that secretly he is a Muslim. "Let's see how he will respond," said Mrazak.
I politely declined, saying that I didn't know how to e-mail, but Mrazak insisted "Ask your granddaughter to send the e-mail on your behalf."
My granddaughter, Alma Fanniya, works for the Health Service Program (HSP), a USAID contractor in Jakarta, sent to Obama on my behalf on Aug. 19. The following is the text sent to Obama.
"My name is Rosihan Anwar, 86, former editor of the Pedoman (Guide) daily in Jakarta, which was banned by two Indonesian presidents -- Sukarno and Soeharto in 1961 and 1974 because of its oppositional stance. Nowadays, I am a senior journalist and columnist for several newspapers.
Herewith, I salute you and wish you God speed in attaining your ideas and aims. May you be successful through the coming convention and election.
I've written about you in my columns, including on your stay with your beloved mother in Jakarta 40 years ago, and although understandably you mostly keep quiet about your "Indonesian experiment" in the present climate of American politics prior to the election, I pray God you will endure and hopefully prevail. Greetings from old generation Indonesian journalist with best regard to your wife Michella and your two daughters."
Best regards, Rosihan Anwar.
Convinced that my letter would be totally ignored, I was surprised when promptly the following day a reply came to Alma from the Correspondence Team of Obama for America.
The following is an extract from the letter.
"Dear Alma, Thank you for contacting Obama for America. The volume of messages we are receiving has gone up recently and we appreciate hearing from you. While we cannot respond individually to thousands of messages per day, the level of interest and thoughtfulness of the comments reflected in these communications are very gratifying. Your thoughts on the campaign and America's future are greatly approached."
Apart from the reply to Alma, there also came a general letter from Obama addressed to "Dear Friend" obviously a prepared standardized reply letter sent to every American citizen who has sent Obama a message.
Here I must stop. Being impecunious; as much as I sympathize with Obama, "the boy from Menteng", who hopefully will make it to the White House, I cannot participate in the donation. Thus ends my brief encounter, e-mail-wise, with Obama. I am left wondering what friends of Professor Rudolf Mrazak should think of it.
ROSIHAN ANWAR
Jl. Surabaya 13, Jakarta
