President-elect Obama has an Indonesian half-sister.
This sister is married to a Malaysian Chinese, Konrad Ng.
Let's wait and see if Obama visits Malaysia and Indonesia first
before transiting Singapore........Changi airport transit lounge
only perhaps.....
=====================
Extract from TheStar
Obama has links to Malaysia
By SOO EWE JIN
PETALING JAYA: Dr Konrad Ng is amused that his Malaysian roots got
noticed halfway round the world, thanks to his link to Democrat
candidate Barack Obama.
An assistant professor at the University of Hawaii in Manoa (UHM),
Ng, whose family originally comes from Sabah, is married to Obama’s
half-sister Maya Soetoro.
Maya and Obama have the same mother.
In an e-mail interview with The Star, Ng, 34, said that his father,
Howard, was born in Sandakan and his mother, Joan, in Kudat.
“I have many relatives who live throughout Malaysia, especially in
Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and the two towns where my parents came
from,” he said.
His parents subsequently settled in Canada and Ng was born
there.
Maya was born to Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian businessman, and Ann
Dunham, a white American cultural anthropologist, who is also
Obama’s mother.
Ng said his parents return to Malaysia once every one to two
years.
“It remains an important place of origin to them. In addition to a
large, extended family, they have many good friends in Malaysia. I
try to visit Malaysia every few years; it is a
special country and feels familiar to me,” said Ng.
Maya, who was born in Jakarta, also cherishes her Indonesian
roots.
According to Ng, she is active in the local Indonesian community
and continues to speak Indonesian when she can. She visits
Indonesia every few years.
Ng described Obama as exceptionally brilliant.
“He has a thorough understanding of the challenges we face and
sound judgment on how we should address these challenges.
“Barack is a dedicated family man and cares deeply about
transforming the world into a better place so that all families
will have the same opportunities to do better.
“South-East Asia is a place of connection for him and a region that
he understands well. It gave him numerous examples of alternative
modes of communication and perspective.
“Maya, Barack and I have talked about the beauty of South-East Asia
and our mutual desire to visit again,” he said.
Not too long ago:
Watching an Independence Day parade in the US four years ago were
(from left) Michelle Obama, her daughter Sasha, Obama, Malia, Maya,
Ng, and their daughter Suhalia. - AP
The family tree: Dr
Konrad Ng, Maya, Howard and Joan posing for a picture. Maya, who is
Obama’s half sister, is married to Ng whose parents originally came
from Sabah.
