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Barry Soetoro: President in the making
May 10, 2008
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Coming up in Indonesian Media Watch this week, he may be striving to become America’s first black President but to residents of a small village in Central Jakarta, US Senator Barack Obama was better known as the fat little boy who ran like a duck.
Tempo Magazine visited the Indonesian village where the US Presidential hopeful stayed briefly as a child and heard their recollections of Obama’s time there .
Every time she watches Barry on television, Djoemiati’s memories go back many years.
The 66-year old grandmother, who lives in the Menteng Dalam area in Jakarta , remembers Obama as a fat little boy called Barry Soetoro.
“Yes, that’s him” she’ll laugh. “When he ran, he looked like a duck.”
Obama was affectionately known as Barry in the small Indonesian village.
He spent some years of his childhood there.
He was only 6 years old when, 40 years ago, he and his mother Ann Dunham, along with their stepfather Lolo Soetoro, lived in Djoemiati’s neighborhood. Djoemiati’s husband, Coenraad, now 77, sold part of his land on J1, Kiai Haji Ramli No 16 in Menteng Dalam to Lolo.
The Soetoro family had relocated from Papua to Jakarta.
Despite the brief period he spent in the small Jakarta village, the tall, plump kid with dark skin and curly hair was popular with the other children in the neighborhood.
Although he couldn’t speak Indonesian, he always wanted to be invited to play. Hopscotch, wrestling, cops and robbers, ball games and soccer. Barry was always game.
The Soetoro residence resembled a mini animal reserve. You’d find pet animals such as a snake, an iguana, a turtle, a monkey and various species of birds from Papua.
It was these animals that Barry often showed off to his friends. Yunaldi Askiar, 45 another neighbor, related how he once became angry with Barry when he shoved a turtle’s head in his face.
Barry Soetoro also possessed a nice collection of toy pistols which he enjoyed showing to his classmates. Barry even gave Yunaldi’s older brother, Johny a toy pistol once.
The three were close play mates.
At No 18, they used to wrestle and play hopscotch. “If he felt cheated, Barry liked to cry Cuang! Cuang! said Johny, imitating Barry’s accent when he was trying to say the word cuang which means cheat.
Johny admits he could not resist teasing Barry by hitting his head or playing with his curly hair.
“Even funnier, if he got rained on, the drops got stuck in his hair.”
The Askiar family often extended their hospitality to the Soetoro family by inviting them for meals. After school, it was usual for Barry to eat at Johny’s house.
Obama’s favorite food: beef rendang curry. On the question of food, particularly if there was rending or chocolate bread, Barry was absolutely ravenous.
In school, little Barry was a rambunctious child. His grasp of the Indonesian language was limited but he was a fast learner, says Israella Darmawan, Barry’s teacher in first grade at the Fransiskus Strada Asisi Catholic Primary School, which he attended from 1968 to early 1970.
By the fourth or fifth month, however, Barry began to be able to speak Indonesian, although it was still awkward. Barry’s score in Indonesia was only 5. But he was very good in mathematics. Overall, he got marks of anywhere from 1 to 10. He was smart, patient, a friendly kid said Israella.
Following this, he moved to the Besuki 01 Primary School. He completed both grades three and four before moving back to Hawaii – his mother’s birth place –to complete his education.
At Besuki, he was remembered fondly for being an easy going child. Photographer Rully Dassad, 48, recalls that his friend, Barry was also hyperactive like him.
Barry and Rully were known for their fidgeting and often gave off a smell of musty sweat after they had been playing ball games. “I remember when he joined the scouts, Barry was once tied up by a senior scout because he couldn’t sit still.” he said.
Nobody in Menteng Dalam expected this small and mischievous child with curly hair to one day enter politics, and now, engage in a tight race to the White House.
But if there is any indication that dreams might come true, Barry’s teacher, Israella revealed that in her class, Barry was asked to write about his goals.
The title of his essay perhaps said it all. “My goal: the presidency”
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