Indonesia to move Obama statue to his old school
By DPA, IANSFriday, February 5, 2010
JAKARTA - Indonesian authorities said Friday that a statue of US President Barack Obama as a boy would be moved to a Jakarta elementary school he once attended after public protests.
The bronze statue of a 10-year-old Obama was erected at a historic central Jakarta park in December, and it immediately drew criticism from Indonesians who said they believe an exemplary compatriot should receive such an honour.
More than 55,000 people joined a page on the popular social-networking website Facebook to demand the statue be removed, and some protestors have threatened to tear down the bronze.
“I agree with the aspiration voiced by several sections (of society) to move the statue to Menteng 1 Elementary School,” Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo said, referring to the school Obama attended when he lived in Indonesia as a child.
The governor said the relocation would be completed in time for Obama’s much-awaited visit to Indonesia, scheduled for March.
Obama lived in central Jakarta from 1967 to 1971 from the ages of 6 to 10 after his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, married an Indonesian, Lolo Soetoro.
The $10,000 statue was sponsored by a group called the Friends of Obama, who said it was intended to inspire local children to follow their dreams.
