There is no point in retracing how you handled the economic crisis you inherited, nor all the policies any other US president would have formulated in discharging his duties. However, Barbara Blum, former commissioner, New York State Department of Social Services captured them so well in 2011:

This disturbing increase [in poverty level] reflects the ongoing fallout of the economic downturn. But the fact is that the statistics would have been worse had it not been for a concerted effort by the Obama administration to ease poverty. This quiet campaign for change has three key planks: building human capital, enforcing wage and hour standards, and providing income-enhancing benefits.

It is more important to highlight why we admire you so much. It was your untiring crusade for the plight of the poor, the strength of your leadership in pursuit of policies to enhance the dignity of the marginalized.

Mr. President, Sir, you endeared yourself to our hearts further when you saw your 2010 visit as a return to one of your childhood homes. You stated that: “I first came to this country when my mother married an Indonesian named Lolo Soetoro. And as a young boy I was I was coming to a different world. But the people of Indonesia quickly made me feel at home.”

Not only did you still have memories of the calls of the satay and bakso (meatball soup) vendors, but remembered most vividly the people — the old men and women who welcomed you with smiles; the children who made a foreign child feel like a neighbor and a friend; and the teachers who helped you learn about our country.

We were very happy that you acknowledged our democratic transformation and expressed confidence that a vibrant media and engaged citizens would ensure that there would be no turning back from democracy. You enumerated those things that you learned to love about us -- that spirit of tolerance that is written into our Constitution; symbolized in mosques and churches and temples standing alongside each other; that spirit that’s embodied in our people — that still lives on. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika — Unity in Diversity. You viewed that as the foundation of our example to the world and explained that was why you believed that Indonesia would play such an important part in the 21st century.

In closing, you reminded us: “That spark of the divine lives within each of us. We cannot give in to doubt or cynicism or despair. The stories of Indonesia and America should make us optimistic, because it tells us that history is on the side of human progress; that unity is more powerful than division; and that the people of this world can live together in peace. You also expressed hope that may our two nations, working together, with faith and determination, share these truths with all mankind”.

Bapak Presiden, you will not just be leaving the African American Museum of History and Culture as a monument to all the sacrifices, the trials and tribulations in the making of America; you and First Lady Michelle are living monuments who will continue to remind us, in your own words: “That our glory derives not just from our most obvious triumphs, but how we’ve wrested triumph from tragedy, and how we’ve been able to remake ourselves, again and again and again, in accordance with our highest ideals”.

In explaining why we are saying “terima kasih banyak” (thank you very much), I would like to borrow some of the beautiful phrases penned by your fellow American, Dr. Imani Michelle Scott:

You have taught us: Yes, we must We must stand, even if alone, for integrity and truth’

We must trust, even when tempted to doubt, in the goodness of humankind

We must work unceasingly, even when exhausted, to ensure a better world for our children

We must locate humor in life, especially if we are to survive the pains of life

Mr. President, Sir, Although your home might be in the Kalorama district of Washington, DC, when you grow weary, do not seek solace just in Paradise Point at Kailua Bay. Come back to your childhood land. For no matter what, President Obama, you will always have a home in the hearts of the Indonesian people.

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