Wino Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Obama made an excellent acceptance speech in Oslo when he accepted his Nobel Peace Price. An Obama statue was erected recently in a park close to where he grew up in Indonesia. $10,000 for a bronze statue. Good idea? JAKARTA, Indonesia – A statue of President Barack Obama as a 10-year-old wearing shorts and a T-shirt has been erected in a Jakarta park to inspire children in the country where he lived as a boy, officials said Wednesday. The almost life-sized statue, to be unveiled Thursday by Jakarta's governor, shows the young Obama smiling at a butterfly that has landed on his upheld left thumb. It stands in Taman Menteng Park, near where Obama lived from 1967 until 1971 with his American mother, his Indonesian stepfather and his half-sister. The park was previously an athletic field near Obama's elementary school. "We welcome the statue, which is designed to give Indonesian children the spirit to reach their dreams," Central Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni said. "There is a message through the young Obama statue that any child and anyone from any background can reach their dreams if they fight for it persistently," she added. Money for the bronze statue, which cost more than $10,000, was donated by eight Indonesian patrons, a television station and a charity that helps Indonesia's urban poor, said the chairman of the nonprofit Friends of Obama Foundation, Ron Mullers. The Indonesia-based foundation came up with the idea of the statue and found the donors. Obama has described his Indonesian experience as both exotic and enlightening. He had a pet monkey, and baby crocodiles swam in a pond behind his house. But he also saw Third World poverty and disease. The statue's pedestal carries an paraphrased quote from former U.S. first lady Eleanor Roosevelt reading, "The future belongs to those who believe in the power of their dreams." http://news.yahoo.co...ia_obama_statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Obama made an excellent acceptance speech in Oslo when he accepted his Nobel Peace Price. An Obama statue was erected recently in a park close to where he grew up in Indonesia. $10,000 for a bronze statue. Good idea? Why not? Anything that might inspire any young kids to better themselves is certainly a grand idea. Obama is admired much more outside the US than within the US. Bush (W), on the other hand, is despised much more outside the US than within the US (which is really saying something given how many people in the US didn't like him!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 I think it is an excellent idea. Shows young people they can do anything if they work hard and put their mind to it. The $10,000 was put up by private donors and is a nice tribute to the president. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 When I was in Bali, the people seemed to really like Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Also in Myanmar, the locals I talked to liked Obama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Obama and Bush are like good cop--bad cop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 I think it is time for America to quit trying to police the world. Quit with this good cop bad cop bullshit and all the meddling in world politics that they do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Here is a story about some people that are not happy about the Obama statue. I guess you can't please everybody. By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer JAKARTA, Indonesia – A statue of President Barack Obama as a boy erected in a Jakarta park has been targeted in a Facebook campaign by thousands who say it should be removed. The Indonesian-language Facebook group named "Take Down the Barack Obama Statue in Taman Menteng Park" had attracted more than 15,000 members by Tuesday since the 43-inch (110-centimeter) statue of 10-year-old Obama dressed in shorts and a T-shirt was unveiled in the downtown park on Thursday last week. Heru Nugroho, the group's creator, said he would use the support on the popular social networking Web site to demand that Jakarta Gov. Fauzi Bowo remove the statue. "Everybody knows that Obama is a world leader, but he is not our national hero who deserves to be awarded a statue," Nugroho said. "This has hurt our national pride because there are many Indonesian figures who gave worthy service to this nation but no statue has been built for them," he added. A separate, English-language Facebook site with the same name was created by a California man and has attracted about 100 members, mostly in the U.S. Many Indonesians are proud of the fact that Obama lived in Jakarta from 1967 to 1971 with his American mother, his Indonesian stepfather and his half-sister. He went by the name "Barry," attended the local elementary school near where his statue now stands and owned a pet monkey. Ron Mullers, a Jakarta resident who came up with the idea of the statue and raised money for it, said it was supposed to inspire local children to follow their dreams. "It's ridiculous. I'm shocked," Mullers, chairman of the local nonpolitical Friends of Obama Foundation, calling the move against the statue political. Mullers likened the backlash to the controversy over whether Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. Obama accepted that accolade in Oslo the same day as his statue was unveiled by Jakarta Mayor Sylviana Murni. Murni ruled out moving the statue, saying that it has been erected the correct approvals and without political motive. "Everyone in this country can express their opinions freely and give awards like statues to anyone freely," Murni said. The governor was overseas on business and was not available for comment Tuesday. The statue cost more than $10,000. The money was donated by eight Indonesian patrons, a television station and a disaster relief charity. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091215/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_obama_statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted February 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2010 The Indonesian government caved in to the people and moved the Obama statue. By KRISTEN GELINEAU, Associated Press Writer JAKARTA, Indonesia – A statue of a young President Barack Obama that drew a public backlash after it was given a prominent position in a Jakarta park will be moved to the elementary school he attended while living in the Indonesian capital, officials said Friday.The decision by Jakarta's government to move the 43-inch (110-centimeter) statue of a 10-year-old Obama holding a butterfly comes as the president prepares for his March visit to Indonesia, where he lived for several years as a child. Despite his widespread popularity among Indonesians, the statue drew criticism after it was placed in a park in December, with protesters arguing Obama is not a national hero. More than 56,000 Facebook members joined the Indonesian-language Facebook group "Take Down the Barack Obama Statue in Taman Menteng Park." On Friday, Jakarta Gov. Fauzi Bowo was quoted by the Detik.com news Web site as saying he "agreed with the suggestions" of those who wanted the statue moved from such a public area. Nur Rochman, a city government spokesman, confirmed officials had ordered the relocation of the statue, and hoped to have it installed at the school before Obama's arrival. "I think that is the most appropriate place for his statue," he said. Heru Nugroho, founder of the Facebook campaign to remove the statue from the park, praised the decision. "It's good — a little too late," he said. "But I appreciate it." Nugroho said he doesn't hate Obama or the United States, but believes statues in Indonesia should be reserved for those who have made significant contributions to the country. "Obama is a very good man, he's a good dreamer," Nugroho said. "But he has no contribution for Indonesia." Ron Mullers, a Jakarta resident who came up with the idea of the statue and raised money for it, said the new location is more personal for Obama, and closer to the children of Indonesia, for whom it was made. "If the government would like to move it, well, that's their prerogative and we have no objection," said Mullers, the chairman of the nonprofit Friends of Obama Foundation. "I think less people will see it, but that's OK." Obama, whose mother married an Indonesian, went to elementary school in the capital from 1967 to 1971 and is regarded fondly by most Indonesians. The nation is home to the world's largest Muslim population and many here believe Obama will improve relations between the West and the Middle East. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100205/ap_on_re_as/as_indonesia_obama_statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted February 6, 2010 Report Share Posted February 6, 2010 Moved to another location and almost everyone is happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted February 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2010 Moved to another location and almost everyone is happy. You can't make everyone happy, but moving the statue to the school Obama attended seems like a good compromise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted February 8, 2010 Report Share Posted February 8, 2010 I think it was an excellent compromise and makes allot of sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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