About 55,000 Indonesians have signed a petition to have a statue of US President Barack Obama removed.
The statue of the US president as a young boy is located in a park in the capital Jakarta and was unveiled last month. Barack Obama lived in Jakarta from ages six to ten.
Critics say Mr Obama has done nothing for Indonesia and does not deserve a statue. They have opened a petition on the network site Facebook and submitted the results to the Indonesian authorities who have said they will consider the issue.
Dwi Bintarto, the official responsible for Jakarta's city parks, says the statue does not represent Obama as president of the United States, but rather as a young boy. He said the statue is intended to motivate young people to study hard and set themselves ambitious objectives.
Photo: supporters show photograhps of Obama's childhood in Jakarta (flickr / budiputra)
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We True Americans never could understand why some countries went that far to support him. He is not our "Messiah" and he sure doesn't represent what the majority of Americans believe. This president does not represent America's best interests.
Somewhat off subject but President Obama has not done much for America either. The statue of President Barack Obama is harmless enough but if it's presence annoys enough people in Jakarta then it should be removed. There are other ways to motivate young people to study hard and set themselves ambitious objectives. What does one learn from the American political system? Nothing fair or honest. Money talks, politicians are put forward by the elite and leave the electorate with poor choices. Is this what they have in mind for motivating young minds? Surely, Jakarta has its own heroes to emulate.
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