W

ith the controversial statue depicting President Barack Obama as a child now removed, the class-action lawsuit aimed at the Jakarta administration is no being longer pursued. Now the Rp 100- million statue has been moved to SDN 01 Menteng, the elementary school Obama attended as a child while he lived in Indonesia.

Whether the placement of the statue at such a "public" school is proper or not is still unclear and deserves further investigation and scrutiny, but the removal of the statue has taught us (and the governor in particular) at least a number of things including the lack of proper procedures and public participation in establishing the statue, who should be awarded with a statue and court impropriety.

First, it is unclear how the governor could have erected the statue if there was no procedure involved, since Cucu Ahmad Kurnia, the city spokesman, stressed the governor had nothing to do with the idea of the statue, telling VIVAnews on Feb. 11 "... the governor never issued a verbal or written permit to order anyone to place the statue in Menteng Park".

Notwithstanding what Kurnia said, the inscription below the statue says, "Dedicated to the Children of Indonesia by: Governor Fauzi Bowo, Friends of Obama, Ron Mullers, Dalton Tanonaka", a sign the governor seemed to have been aware of the existence of the statue and the permit required to legitimize its erection.

So what Kurnia has said indicates otherwise, the erection of the statue was illegal. This is ironic given the governor can do as he wishes, violating the law he is supposed to enforce.

Second, the issue has revealed a lack of public participation in policy making. To establish a statue in such a public space as Menteng Park (or make a policy that would impact the people), the governor needs to obtain the consensus of the city council, the body representing the aspiration of the people.

We have not heard of any public evidence indicating the governor officially consulted with the council about the statue.

Third, who should be awarded with a statue depends on how significant his or her contribution is. While overlooking the merit of our own national heroes is obviously insensitive, the erection of the statue of Obama has raised the question whether a foreigner can have his or her statue erected, the sort that should otherwise be awarded to national heroes such as Muhammad Husni Thamrin, a figure closely and historically related to Jakarta, where the Obama statue is erected.

In China, for example, there is a bronze statue depicting Iris Chang, an American journalist who wrote The Rape of Nanking, a work that documents the atrocities against the Chinese by the Japanese.

Although Chang is not a US president, her contribution to the Chinese victims during the Sino war is considered significant and "heroically" related to the settlement of the people of Nanking.

As a result of her work, along with her other legacies, Iris Chang was awarded the statue at the Nanjing Memorial Hall in Nanjing, the contemporary name of Nanking. So only history of mettle will prove whether the controversial Obama statue will find its place in Indonesia. Iris Chang has proven her mettle in China, Barack Obama has not proven his in Indonesia.

Fourth, all the defendants of the lawsuit - Governor Fauzi Bowo, Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni, and the head of the Jakarta Parks and Cemeteries Agency Ery Basworo - failed to meet the subpoena by the Central Jakarta District Court to account for the malfeasance they were accused of committing. When asked to attend the first hearing of the court, they did not show up.

The dynamism pertaining to the statue has shown much about what we could learn about our governor and how he governs Jakarta.

What we expect from him is to follow existing proper procedures and involve people in public policy making. Only by demonstrating such quality will the governor be able to govern his people. Otherwise, the governor is just one of many he might consider a delinquent.