Indonesia Honors President Obama's Late Mother with Gold Medal (Incl. Photos)

[Turborama]

Source: ABC

At a state dinner honoring President Obama Tuesday, Indonesian President Yudhoyono presented Mr. Obama a gold medal on behalf of his late mother, Ann Dunham, who lived and studied in Indonesia for more than a decade.

“I am proud and humbled to accept this award on behalf of my mother,” President Obama said. “And although she could not be here in person, I know that my sister Maya Soetoro would be equally proud.” He said he was “deeply moved.”

“The fact, Mr. President, that you would choose to recognize my mother in this way speaks to the bonds that she forged over many years with the people of this magnificent country,” President Obama said. Mr. Obama said that as “a young boy in Menteng Dalam” -- the Jakarta neighborhood where he lived -- “40 years ago, I could never imagine that I would one day be hosted here at Istana Negara” -– the state palace –- “never mind as president of the United States. I didn’t think I would be stepping into this building ever.”

The president offered a toast in “the spirit of friendship between our two countries, we are reminded of the truth that no nation is an island, not even when you’re made up of thousands of islands. We all rely on each other together, like bamboo and the river bank. And like my mother riding between villages on a motorcycle, we are all stronger and safer when we see our common humanity in each other.”

Read more: http://www.670kboi.com/rssItem.asp?feedid=113&itemid=29595974

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(President SBY is looking very tired because he's been spending the past week in a mountain outpost in east Java overseeing the rescue and recovery of volcano victims)





President Obama "Deeply Moved" by Indonesian Government Presenting Posthumous Gold Medal to Honor His Mother

JAKARTA, INDONESIA -- At a state dinner honoring President Obama this evening, Indonesian President Yudhoyono presented Mr. Obama a gold medal on behalf of his later mother, Ann Dunham, who lived and studied in Indonesia for more than a decade.

=snip=

Dunham died in 1995 at the age of 52. She received her doctorate in 1992 from the University of Hawai’i for her 14-year study of life among rural metalworkers of the Javanese village of Kajar. In 1967 she moved to Indonesia with her second husband, Lolo Soetoro and her son, then known as Barry Obama Jr. Four years later, concerned about her son’s education, she sent her son back to Hawaii to live with her parents.

“The fact, Mr. President, that you would choose to recognize my mother in this way speaks to the bonds that she forged over many years with the people of this magnificent country,” President Obama said today. “And in honoring her, you honor the spirit that led her to travel into villages throughout the country, often on the back of motorcycles, because that was the only way to get into some of these villages.”

President Obama today said his mother “believed that we all share common aspirations -- to live in dignity and security, to get an education, to provide for our families, to give our children a better future, to leave the world better than we found it. She also believed, by the way, in the importance of educating girls and empowering women, because she understood that when we provide education to young women, when we honor and respect women, that we are in fact developing the entire country. That’s what kept bringing my mother back to this country for so many years. That’s the lesson that she passed on to me and that’s the lesson that Michelle and I try to pass on to our daughters.”

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/11/president-obama-deeply-moved-by-indonesian-government-presenting-posthumous-gold-medal-to-honor-his-.html

[Tx4obama]

1. Saw a clip on the morning news about this. Very happy the article/photos are posted here.

Hopefully since it was an award for his mother, it won't be considered a 'gift' for Obama and he will be able to keep it (there's rules about Presidents not being able to keep gifts).
Or give it to his sister Maya ;)

[David Zephyr]

2. Moving.

:)

[Rhiannon12866]

3. K&R! Wow!

This must mean much more to him than any honors that he's received, himself. What a wonderful moment for him... Great post! :applause: :hi:

[Turborama]

4. I have to admit to getting a bit emotional when I found out about this

It is a lovely gesture from the heart. They must have been really frustrated the two times his visits were cancelled as they must have really been looking forward to giving it to him.

BTW did you get my email with the links to the photos of the trip to the volcano with the doggies, if so, did the link work ok? :hi:

[Rhiannon12866]

5. This choked me up, too.

The president feels like he owes so much to his mother, so this must have meant the world to him... O8)

And, yes, I did, have been meaning to write back, but there are a lot and I haven't yet seen all of them. But they are spectacular! Thank you! :wow: :hi:

[Turborama]

6. This is what Indonesia's President said when he presented the medal...

Honoring the President’s Mother

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Obama was welcomed as a hometown boy made good – exceedingly good – when he arrived here Tuesday afternoon. But long before he became president, his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, touched many lives in Indonesia, where she worked as an anthropologist, becoming a pioneer in microfinance and creating services like credit and savings for the poor.

So it was that Ms. Dunham, who died in 1995, was honored here Tuesday evening with a gold medal, accepted by her son on her behalf in a gesture that the president said left him ‘’deeply moved.’’

President Susilo Bambang Yodhoyono presented the medal to Mr. Obama at a state dinner, where the Indonesians served dishes Mr. Obama loved as a boy. “A few years ago,’’ Mr. Yodhoyono said, “there was an American woman who loved Indonesia and conducted research on the issue of the role of women and the empowerment of the economy. The result of her research was transferred into a scientific paper of high quality regarding the role of women and micro credits in the villages.’’

He went on: “That researcher is no longer with us, but her dedication and compassion continue to live on in Indonesia. That woman is Stanley Ann Dunham. The government of Indonesia has decided to honor Madame Stanley for her dedication.’’

Full article: http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/honoring-the-presidents-mother/