Desi Anwar

Desi Anwar: Girth of a President

Buffalos are not fat and slow. They are just large, and actually, they’re capable of pretty high speeds. The fact that our beloved president took umbrage over the presence of a buffalo at a rally protesting his government’s first 100 days seeing the animal’s participation as a comment on his own performance — goes to show that he is getting pretty sensitive about his physical appearance.

After all, no one actually called him fat and slow to his face. But if he didn’t feel that way he wouldn’t have been offended by the bovine activist.

If any subtle reference was made to the president’s public persona, it was probably in the buffalo’s name, Si Lebay, which in today’s slang means “over the top.”

And judging by the president’s wounded reaction, this was probably not far off the mark. These days it does seem as if our man at the top increasingly displays his more sensitive side (overly touchy) as opposed to the macho, tough and stoic disposition that would be more in keeping with his background as an army general and leader of this country.

This is all the more true in seeing that the 100-days demonstrations were pretty feeble, if not downright flops.

It is the president’s over-the-top reaction that ensures Si Lebay a place in history as a democratically inclined animal who was not shy to exercise his freedom of expression.

But let’s go back to the fat bit, seeing that the president himself raised the issue. Not wishing to be mean or anything, I suppose one of his more visible achievements during his presidency is the growing size of his girth, which in terms of physical development has certainly been a lot more ambitious than any of his government’s infrastructure projects.

And that, in these days of media-conscious leadership where the way a head of state looks is as important as the soundness of his policies, will certainly not do. As a matter of fact, our leader has always been meticulous and self-conscious in the way he deports himself (some accuse him of being “ja’im,” or image conscious) especially in front of the camera. His hand movements are contrived, his gestures deliberate and the way he chooses his words anything but spontaneous.

But let’s be honest, compared to his international peers, he is getting a bit portly. To be sure, this phenomenon is not limited to him. Many of our government officials seem to suffer from this physical inflation concomitant with their elevated status.

Perhaps it’s a middle-aged thing. Perhaps it’s just not enough exercise and too much fried food. Whatever it is, subconsciously it does have an effect on the way we perceive our leaders, what they stand for and how effective their government is.

Imagine, for example, if US President Barack Obama and his glamorous wife were instead unfashionable and portly. I’m sure they would not exude the same aura. As a matter of fact, there aren’t that many leaders these days whose physiques leave a lot to be desired. Even George W was quite svelte and Bill Clinton had muscle contours, at least when he was jogging and laying off the burgers. Tony Blair was well proportioned. Even the French president, who is somewhat vertically challenged, has his media image greatly enhanced by having a drop-dead beauty for a spouse who could no doubt temper any disgruntlement directed at him just merely by hanging on to the presidential arm.

Closer to home, just compare the size of our Prez with that of his former VP, the diminutive and sprightly Jusuf Kalla, who is well known for his spontaneous, no-nonsense and superfast response to anything that came his way. One could not help wondering if his physical size had any connection to his shoot-from-the-hip character, but it does seem likely that a person with cumbersome proportions would not be as agile.

At the risk of being profoundly shallow, I feel that a leader who cultivates extra pounds while still in office, is sending his people the wrong signal. After all, a democratic and hard-working leader should be someone who not only works hard but is also seen as capable of taking care of his own body as much he takes care of the country.

Slim is then the equivalent of serious hard work, moral uprightness and a disciplined approach to life, while being overweight, denotes lack of discipline, excessive self-indulgence and being too lazy to hit the gym.

Maybe I am being unfair here. But I think the pre sident would do himself a world of good — and maybe get that poor buffalo off the hook — if he would just go to the salad bar for lunch and work out more.

Desi Anwar is a senior anchor and writer. She can be contacted at www.desianwar.com and www.dailyavocado.net.

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