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.

The way Obama has outrun the established political clan of the Clintons has inspired young and fresh Indonesian political hopefuls, some of whom were educated in the U.S., to present themselves in the political landscape of Indonesia. Their ongoing features and advertisements in print and electronic media copy the Obama campaign style and sometimes mix Indonesian and English language. One slogan, that of Rizal Mallarangeng, is “Harapan Baru –Harapan Kita (New Hope – Our Hope) Where there is a will there is a way”. While this may not bear fruit in 2009, “Obamania” is preparing the ground for the next elections in 2014.

The enthusiasm for Obama does not only stem from his personal ties to Indonesia or charismatic image. People here believe that if Obama became President, the relationship between the U.S. and Indonesia could be renewed. Though the U.S. is a major international actor for Indonesia, the image and reputation of the states has suffered since the fall of Suharto in 1998. The support of the U.S. administration for Suharto, for the war in Afghanistan, and for the war in Iraq have all damaged the image of the United States.

Due to Obama’s affinity for a country like Indonesia with a large Muslim population, people here hope for more cultural sensitivity as compared to the Bush administration. They also trust that Obama would be more successful in handling conflict in global hotspots such as the Middle East. Of course, the expectation is that Indonesia will in the future have a more central role in the U.S. foreign policy towards Asia.

However, it is probable that few Indonesians have examined the domestic political agenda of Barack Obama. If Obama’s domestic agenda was more well known, many Indonesians might reconsider their support and sympathy. Obama’s liberal viewpoint on issues like same-sex marriages and abortion would be widely rejected in this country that embraces religious pluralism but is dominated by a majority of faithful Muslims. But “Obamania” in Indonesia does not stand for his political agenda in the U.S. or for a change in foreign policy: Indonesians see Obama as a good friend of Indonesia and a symbol for “change”.