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Indonesian classmates recall ‘confident Barry’

When he was six years old, Barack Obama moved to Indonesia after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian foreign student, Lolo Soetoro.

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JAKARTA: Indonesian former classmates of Barack Obama have high hopes for the kind-hearted, confident and easy-going boy they knew as Barry who has set his sights on becoming the first black president of the United States.

When he was six years old, Obama moved to Indonesia after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian foreign student, Lolo Soetoro. His classmates still recall the day nearly 40 years ago when a foreign kid joined them at the state-run SDN Menteng 01 school in the upmarket Menteng district of Jakarta. “I will never forget the first day he entered class and the teacher introduced him in front of the class,” Onny Padma said.

“I thought he was from Papua, Indonesia’s easternmost province. He had curly hair, dark skin and was a fat boy. But the way he dressed was really American style,” said Padma.   

Dewi Asmara, now a member of parliament, also remembered Obama as a “kind and confident” boy when she knew him in the late 1960s. “Obama was a fun and a kindhearted boy. Unlike other boys, he never got involved in any fighting,” said Asmara.

Obama, 45, says Indonesia left a lasting impression on him during his formative years. “It was very powerful. I had an Indonesian stepfather. I went to an Indonesian-speaking school,” the Illinois senator said. “It gave me an enormous appreciation for the magnificent culture and history of Asia. It gave me a great love for the people of Asia,” he said.

Sonny Imam Sukarso said he was astonished to learn that his old school friend was aiming to become US president. “Barry always came to my home after school to play games. His home was just at the back of mine. His driver always dropped and picked him late afternoon,” Sukarso said, adding enthusiastically: “I am pretty sure he will remember me.” He said he had already sent Obama an email — but was yet to receive a reply. 

The current headmaster of Menteng 01, Kuwadiyanto, said he had been fielding lots of enquiries about Obama from the media and the US embassy.

In his autobiographical Dreams From My Father, Obama describes his time in Indonesia as “one long adventure, the bounty of a young man’s life”. He recalls his introduction to the exotic delicacies of snake meat and roasted grasshopper, and describes his pet ape and his days in a boy scout troop.

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