Armando Siahaan – Speaking at an international conference in Jakarta last week, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono mentioned that he was trying "to get Oprah Winfrey to say something about Indonesia." It was just a joke, but it did get me thinking – what would Oprah say about our country?
A dear friend of the US president, it wouldn't be surprising if Oprah took an Obama-esque approach, lauding Indonesia's commendable economic growth, its thriving democracy and prevailing pluralism – an optimistic view that largely overlooks the reality of what's actually going on here.
She would probably quote Yudhoyono's oft-repeated statement that "in the midst of the global financial crisis, [Indonesia's] economy grew by 4.5 percent." I've lost count of how many times he's mentioned that in his speeches.
We'd have to hope that Oprah's production team wouldn't find out about the 100 or so young men in Solo, Central Java, who said they were ready to die to avenge the death of Osama bin Laden. Wouldn't it be a shame if she brought that up?
But the "Oprah Winfrey Show" is not really about what she says about something. It's about the guests. So here's my list of Indonesians I think should sit on Oprah's couch.
One option is the judges of the Constitutional Court, who last month threw out a request for a judicial review of the contentious 2008 Anti-Pornography Law. The plaintiff, controversial lawyer Farhat Abbas, was seeking to amend the law to make the production and possession of sex tapes for personal use a crime.
Keep in mind that we're now living in a time when individual rights are being jeopardized by a dangerous rise in conservatism. Hard-liners are attempting to impose and enforce their notions of right and wrong on the country by saying those of us who deviate from their moral code should be considered hell-bound sinners. A ban on private sex tapes would have certainly been a huge step forward for such a movement.
In 1998, we collectively chose to follow the path of democracy, of which individual rights are a core element. So when the court upheld the right of people to tape themselves having sex, it was essentially defending Indonesians' constitutional right to pursue practices and beliefs that may go against the moral teachings of the majority.
The rest of my Oprah wish list is, interestingly, is made up of young people.
To show the positive side of Indonesia, I'd definitely send the Rosmansyah siblings, 12-year-old Fahma and 7-year-old Hania, who wowed me with their ability to create software and mobile applications. Remember what Oprah did with Charice and Celine Dion? Perhaps she could introduce the Rosmansyahs to people like Microsoft's Bill Gates, Apple's Steve Jobs or Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, who could help shape these fledgling tech whizzes into future leaders of Indonesia's technology industry.
A lot of Oprah's shows are tearjerkers. I wonder what her audience would say if she talked to Deli Suhandi, the 14-year-old kid who's on trial for allegedly stealing a Rp 10,000 ($1.15) phone card. His minor delinquency has him facing the possibility of seven years in prison – the same sentence given to former taxman Gayus Tambunan.
But if I got to send just one person to meet with Ms. Winfrey, it would have to be a chubby street busker named Nayya. I first saw Nayya in an online competition where the participants posted videos of street buskers from their respective homelands. A guy from Indonesia posted a 3-minute video of Nayya playing a ukulele while crooning Seventeen's "Jaga Selalu Hatimu" ("Always Guard Your Heart"). His voice is heavenly. His smile is like a ray of sunshine piercing the darkness. His performance speaks volumes about this country.
While our leaders boast about our robust economic growth, Nayya remind us that there are still children like him who have to struggle every day just to get an education or even a proper meal.
At the same time, Nayya brings a glimmer of hope to Indonesia. Like the Rosmansyahs, he is a living testament to our country's potential for greatness. But the question is, who will make sure that potential is realized?
[Armando Siahaan is a reporter at the Jakarta Globe and writes a weekly column about current events. Follow @jakartajourno on Twitter or e-mail him at armando.siahaan@thejakartaglobe.com.]