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In Menteng, student wants a word with Obama
Something to aim for: Two students play near a statue of a young Barack Obama at SDN 01 primary school in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday
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span class="inline inline-left">Something to aim for: Two students play near a statue of a young Barack Obama at SDN 01 primary school in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Monday. The US president, who will arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday, studied at this school in the late 1960s. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama “I really want to meet him. He canceled his visits a few times already,” said Shadam Sambega Raditya, a second grader at state-run elementary school SDN 1, where US President Barack Obama attended fourth grade.
Shadam said if Obama visits his school in Menteng, Central Jakarta, he wants to have a conversation with the US president.
Recently, Shadam won second prize in a writing competition with the theme “Dear President Obama”, held in anticipation of Obama’s visit to Indonesia. Shadam concluded his two-paragraph letter with “Mr. Obama, we wait for your visit. Mr. Obama, we love you.”
Now that it is official Obama will start his state visit Tuesday, students at the school can once again hope to finally meet the school’s most famous alumni.
Obama attended the elementary school for one year, in 1968. But to the heartbreak of the school’s current students, a visit to SD Besuki (as locals call the school), is not on Obama’s agenda during
his visit.
Shadam’s mother, Erly Indriani, said her son was excited whenever news broke about Obama’s planned visit to the country. Shadam always prepared to welcome Obama whenever he heard about the US president’s new plan to visit.
“He would say ‘Mom, get me new clothes. I want to welcome him,” Erly said.
The elementary school’s principal, Hasimah, said that after two cancellations, SD Besuki had not prepared to welcome Obama this time.
The teachers didn’t even bother informing the students about Obama’s plan to visit Indonesia.
“I didn’t want to break the childrens’ hearts again. There’s a lot of pressure about Obama visiting the children,” Hasimah said on Monday.
Hasimah said before Obama canceled the first time, the school prepared a special event in which students would dance, sing and don special clothes.
“But this time if he does come, we would welcome him with a simple ceremony, just as we welcome visiting state officials,” she said, stressing the word “if”.
Hasimah said so far no government officials have spoken to her about Obama’s planned visit to Jakarta.
This time there were no special decorations for Obama, only a banner with a picture of Obama riding a school bus, emblazoned with the words “Dear President Obama” — clearly a banner for the writing
competition.
Obama is expected to arrive on Tuesday at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport and will go straight to the State Palace.
On Wednesday, Obama will visit the Istiqlal Grand Mosque in Central Jakarta and then give a speech at the University of Indonesia in Depok.
The Jakarta Police said the US president would lay a wreath at the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery in Kalibata, South Jakarta, before boarding Air Force One at Halim Perdanakusumah Airport.
Even if Obama skips a visit to SD Besuki, Dian Mega Herlina, mother of a third grader at the school, said she understood.
“He’s a busy man. He must have many things to do,” Dian said.
Dian, however, said her daughter and many of her classmates still have hope that one day Obama will visit the school.
“They still have the belief. Maybe next year,” she said.
