Obamania In Indonesia

If Indonesian citizens could vote in the U.S. elections, Barack Obama would certainly be the winner. One of the reasons for this is his special relationship to Indonesia. Obama, who was born in Hawaii, moved to Indonesia at the age six to live with his mother and stepfather, attending local schools until the age of ten when he returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. His campaign has been widely covered in the local media, and posters of Obama are sold by stores and vendors.

However, Obama is not just treated as an “Indonesian” presidential candidate, he is even being used as a “template” for the presidential elections in Indonesia 2009. Since the Indonesian presidential candidates are established politicians from the older generation—some of them even have backgrounds in the Suharto dictatorship—it is not only the younger generation that hopes for a real “change” in Indonesian politics. Because of this development, the largest party in the upcoming elections could be the “non-voters”.

Despite ten years of political reforms and economic recovery after the fall of Suharto, growing social injustice has added to the disappointment and frustration felt especially among the young elites. Those who do not seek an alternative in political Islam look at Obama and his campaign in the U.S.

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