Barack Obama vs Paris Hilton in Bali
Nov 21st, 2011, in Featured, News, by Guest Writer
Two of the United States’ more famous citizens recently visited Bali.
The US President and former Menteng kid Barack Obama made his second trip to Indonesia since taking office, as part of the East Asia Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali.
Meanwhile, celebrity heiress/businesswoman/sex-tape star Paris Hilton was also in Bali briefly to open a new salon owned by high-connected Dutchman Rob Peetoom in Seminyak, Bali.OMG
The question is this: Whose visit contributed more economically/socially to Bali and Indonesia? Read the two candidates’ itinerary, then vote. Ladies first:
Paris Hilton’s Contributions
– Gave a Rp714 000 ($US80) filet mignon steak to a stray (and potentially rabid) dog. She later tweeted Balinese dogs’ poor conditions upset her so much she couldn’t sleep.OMG This may encourage people to treat dogs in Bali more humanely in the future.
– Visited the Yayasan Peduli Kasih Anak orphanage.Paris Hilton Site This may encourage many people to donate, and raise awareness of Indonesian orphans’ conditions.
– Sent highly complimentary tweets about Bali to her 5.3 million followers.The Jakarta Post This may result in a future increase in tourist arrivals. (Unfortunately for her family, there are no Hilton hotels in Indonesia any more. The former Hilton Hotel in Jakarta is now the Sultan Hotel, while in Surabaya it’s now the Singgasana Hotel.)
Barack Obama’s Contributions
– Witnessed the signing of Boeing’s largest ever sale: 230 Boeing 737 planes for Lion Air, at a price of $US21.7 billion.The Jakarta Globe This may enable Indonesians to travel around Indonesia and the Asian region more easily.
– Announced a $600 million deal through the Millennium Challenge Corporation “to support environmentally sustainable economic development through clean energy projects and sustainable landscapes projects, community-based nutrition programs, and procurement modernization.” With Indonesia’s President, he also reaffirmed their partnership and “commitment to strengthen democracy and human rights in their own societies.”Ripple’s Web This is aimed to help Indonesia improve its environmental record while still meeting its people’s energy needs and improving their welfare. This was despite some concerns in the USA about military abuses like this in Papua province, particularly at/near American-owned copper and gold mines there.
– Encouraged Indonesia to consider joining a new free-trade agreement called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It would exclude China but comprise four ASEAN countries (Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam) as well as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Peru.The Jakarta Post This may assist Indonesia find new export markets, as well as reduce tarriffs, subsidies and other barriers to trade.
So who do you think did more for Bali and Indonesia? Vote now with a comment below:
- Paris Hilton
- Barack Obama
- About the same
- Neither PH or BO did anything helpful
25 Comments on “Barack Obama vs Paris Hilton in Bali”
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Michael says:
Slight error in your text. You say there are no Hilton hotels in Indonesia, but in fact there is a Conrad hotel in Bali. Conrad is Hilton’s high-end brand.
The old Hilton in Jakarta was under the Hilton International brand, which did not belong to the Hilton family business. Hilton took back the brand a few years ago, and many Hilton International hotels had to be re-branded because it didn’t meet the standards of the Hilton brand.
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Tony says:
And let’s not forget the former Bali Hilton, now The Ayodha
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Moronnic says:
Hilton Bandung Hotel, West Java, Indonesia 🙂
I vote for Paris Hilton. She has more direct impacts than BO.
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Greg says:
Easy: Paris Hilton. During an earlier visit last year, President Obama quietly resumed training and arms sales with Kopassus — the Indonesian special forces unit/KGB equivalent that is responsible for serious human rights crimes and thousands of murders.
I was an American living in Indonesia at the time. Google “Kopassus” — stuff like this is nearly always cut from U.S. media, but it’s true.
The Sydney Morning Herald touched on the arms sales: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/kopassus-must-be-held-to-account-20100725-10qex.html
Enough ranting, I’m done. 🙂
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deta says:
Paris Hilton:
– Gave a Rp714 000 ($US80) filet mignon steak to a stray (and potentially rabid) dog. She later tweeted Balinese dogs’ poor conditions upset her so much she couldn’t sleep.
Obama:
– Gave $600 million to Indonesian bureaucrats. The uncertain condition of Freeport upset him so much he couldn’t sleep.
At least Paris is genuine with her intention.
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Well I think that is the first time genuine and Paris Hilton have been used in the same sentence.
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I vote Paris, well she did a lot more for tourism at least than BO. BO’s Twitter account doesn’t even have any mention of Indonesia/Bali – http://twitter.com/#!/BARACKOBAMA – his ‘campaign staff’ are more interested in tweeting stuff like
Look cool while staying warm with our new #Obama2012 zip-up hoodie.
We’re re-releasing the campaign’s limited-edition “Made in the USA” mugs. Get yours.
Right.
While Paris tweeted after getting home:
Bali completely changed my outlook on life. Feel so #blessed. See the world differently.
Was that genuine? You decide.
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Look cool while staying warm with our new #Obama2012 zip-up hoodie.
We’re re-releasing the campaign’s limited-edition “Made in the USA” mugs. Get yours.
Can’t blame him. After closing a deal for the sale of Boeing to Indonesia, it’s only natural if he feels the need to expand the business in zip-up hoodie and mugs.
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Good point, was pretty bizarre watching the neo networks bagging him for ‘wasting’ time in Asia. Gotta love the hillbilly level of political debate in the US these days.
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ET says:
Paris Hilton said
Bali completely changed my outlook on life. Feel so #blessed. See the world differently.
So did I, but that was a long time ago. I wonder where they took her and what roads she travelled. Or she must have been flown around by helicopter, far from the madding crowd.
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I suppose one interpretation of it is ‘there but for the grace of God go I’.
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I think so 🙂 . She feels so blessed she doesn’t live in Bali.
Wait till she meet a charming Kuta cowboy.
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BrotherMouzone says:
– Witnessed the signing of Boeing’s largest ever sale: 230 Boeing 737 planes for Lion Air, at a price of $US21.7 billion.[5] This may enable Indonesians to travel around Indonesia and the Asian region more easily.
It might if they hadn’t been sold to Lion Air.
Obama’s arrival resulted in a flight delay for me, so I’m voting Paris. Plus, she has a lovely pair of puppies…
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deta
Wait till she meet a charming Kuta cowboy.
She probably has. That’s why she felt so ‘blessed’.
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agan says:
^
Now now there is no need to insult a Kuta cowboy ! -
Meanwhile shoddy workmanship has killed another tourist in Bali with the cafe owner blaming others for the death (no surprise there, taking responsibility is something we never do in Indonesia).
Poor kid was just out of high school..
I remain amazed that Bali still has a tourist industry..dirty beaches, squalid tourist attractions and over priced.
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myjayvyn says:
Paris hilton of course
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Mauricio says:
Were it bad enough that these summits are held in Bali where the roads and airport are not up to the task, insult is added to injury by the entourage of pejabat and their wives who chose to visit the island. Gauging from their low esteem that politicians are generally held in Indonesia, you’d think that they’d try to travel more or less incognito. No, instead they chose to travel in convoys with police escort, sealing off roads well in advance of their arrival and blocking the traffic of legitimate tourists and residents. As far I am concerned, the summits can be held in another island. Leave Bali and its residents alone.
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@ Chris
To be fair, I never blamed Garuda – I assumed the delays were due to cruddy airport management; even at the best of times Ngurah Rai airport is a joke…
Do you know if they’re planning to add terminals or renovate at some stage in the future?
Last time I was there, there was a big poster of a very modern looking airport, but I didn’t know if this was a firm plan for construction or the management’s attempt to trick delayed passengers into thinking they were in a much nicer building.
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Hi Brother Mouzone,
Do you know if they’re planning to add terminals or renovate at some stage in the future?
Last time I was there, there was a big poster of a very modern looking airport, but I didn’t know if this was a firm plan for construction or the management’s attempt to trick delayed passengers into thinking they were in a much nicer building.
Yes, Ngurah Rai airport is being expanded.
About a year ago, they were talking about building a new airport near Tanah Lot because there was no room to expand the existing airport. Then they later said it was possible after all to expand the existing airport. It probably won’t be finished for a couple of years yet, though. Same like:
– the much-needed expansion/renovation of Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Jakarta.
– the construction of Kuala Namu Airport in Medan, replacing the inappropriately located Polonia Airport.
– the new airport in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.
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Mauricio says:
…and when and if the expansion is completed, demand would have surpassed capacity. Just like the Bandung Toll road, and the toll-road to the Puncak. For Christ’s sake, you’ve got 120 million people on the island of java, and all your kampung vision can imagine is a two-lane road. Forget about airports. To this very day, there is no modern highway across the country’s economic, political and cultural fulcrum, Java.
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@ Chris
Well that’s good news, I guess. But as Mauricio says, it wouldn’t surprise me if by the time the expansion is completed, demand has already surpassed the expansion. They shouldn’t be planning for today’s demand, they should be planning for 2020’s demand. And that surely means a minimum of 2 more terminals. I doubt they can fit that in the current location.
The new terminals at Makassar and Jakarta are both pretty well designed – they would make a nice model for Bali to follow. At the very least, a baggage conveyor belt longer than the current one (which is all of about 10 meters long) would be a start.
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When I landed at CGK’s Terminal III for the first time I thought I had boarded the wrong plane and landed in KL.
Comment on “Barack Obama vs Paris Hilton in Bali”.
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I would prefer Barack Obama since he has greater contribution than what Paris Hilton did..