TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

The week in review: Cheer amid the gloom

The cheering and laughing crowds more or less reflected the country’s reception to US President Barack “Barry” Obama — even though he only spent four years of his childhood in Jakarta

The Jakarta Post
Sun, November 14, 2010

Share This Article

Change Size

The week in review: Cheer amid the gloom

T

he cheering and laughing crowds more or less reflected the country’s reception to US President Barack “Barry” Obama — even though he only spent four years of his childhood in Jakarta. The applause at the University of Indonesia’s main hall virtually drowned out student protests outside the heavily-guarded campus grounds on Wednesday, the last day of Obama’s first state visit to Indonesia.

Many here harbor resentment over US policy towards the Muslim world, even though President Obama has repeatedly said that the US is not, and never will be, at war with Islam.

Nevertheless, the prevailing mood this week during the US First Couple’s short visit was obviously a welcome back for “the boy from Menteng Dalam”, who attended ordinary schools here. It would be difficult to find another US president who used to chase dragonflies and play in paddy fields. Only Barack Obama, of course, could tell an Indonesian audience: “Pulang kampung nih!” — the colloquial phrase for coming home.

Indonesians had not forgotten their distant brethren in disaster areas of — but Obama surely gave us some temporary entertainment.

His famed oratory skills exuded more warmth than charisma. He used his extraordinary advantage of having enjoyed a slice of life in the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation to bring his message home: The shared values and interests of the US and Indonesia, nations that in spite of their imperfections, “can find the ability to bridge divides of race and region and religion”, as reflected in similar national slogans praised in both nations (such as the Bhinneka Tunggal Ika in Indonesia).

Obama praised a progressive, modern and tolerant Indonesia, in line with the one of his boyhood, a nation not consumed by the ideals of those few “who seek to derail progress”. Both nations encourage the growth of a stronger middle class in Indonesia, one more capable of purchasing American products  — a masterly crafted speech tying a common ground between both countries.  

Obama and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono left separately for Seoul to attend the G20 economic  summit, and the APEC leaders’ meeting later in Yokohama — after which we will see how Indonesia’s leaders used the “free promotion” that Obama gave us. In the words of one businessman, regarding bilateral ties, the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on business, security, cultural and education issues, it will be a test of the efforts of both countries in living up to their commitments to serving mutual interests.

Likewise, Obama will soon be back on home turf, facing a hostile Republican-majority Congress, where he would need to convince the local audience that his Asian journey would soon help to bring about a better domestic economy, and more jobs at home.

The Muslim world, however, was not impressed. Critics said Obama offered no breakthrough  in terms of US foreign policy in the Middle East. As long as Israeli settlements steadily keep cropping up, regardless of agreements,  we know for sure that the US has little influence  over a wily power .

  ***

We also slumped sadly back into reality, even before Obama left Jakarta. Reports of Gayus Tambunan, the low ranking taxman who was reportedly sighted wearing a wig while attending a tennis tournament in Bali — when he was supposed to be behind bars. This prompted an investigation of his detention wardens and other members of the police. But, of course, the reports are suspected to be just the tip of the iceberg. The incident confirmed the long-standing rumors that “big shot” criminals could easily bribe their way out of jail and waltz back into their comfortable cells whenever they please.

So what does that mean for us, especially as Indonesia has been appointed to co-chair the corruption taskforce at the G20 meeting? It’s a great honor, but also a mockery of Indonesian citizens. SBY’s leadership in the national fight against corruption is one of the only matters left where he could salvage his declining popularity.

If Yudhoyono could focus on that, he could be better served trusting his aides to help the victims of the current disasters. The President finally decided to dedicate one day for the G20 gathering and another for the APEC summit. It is yet to be seen how Indonesia will fare in the “currency war”, and in trade barrier issues, one of the primary focuses of both summits.

***

Merapi’s eruptions are forcing us to take a hard look, again, at what it means to live with these great mountains. Twenty volcanoes are now on alert status across the country. Beginning with the basics, Merapi watchers have been struggling to monitor the volcano because only one of three seismographs were left still functioning. The continuous rumbling and coughing of our volcanoes might contribute to the President’s weary eyes. People continue to whisper about how disasters have fallen, one after the other, since SBY started his first term, beginning with the earthquake and tsunami in Aceh, the worst hit among several areas in different countries back in December 2004.

Only on Thursday did legislators concede that they would not use, for the time being, their entitlement to “comparative studies”, bowing at last to public anger over the fact that the elected “honorables” could blithely go on with their plans for overseas travel, paid for by the national budget, even as the volcano continued to force thousands to leave their homes.

Is there any way to instill a sense of ethics, particularly among officials and elected representatives, so that they would not be in a permanent state of oblivion, so that they might comprehend the meaning of “appropriate”, so that they might understand that abuse of power is also corruption?

— Ati Nurbaiti

{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.