The right brain, behavior, and beauty for 1995<\/p>\n
By Johannes Simbolon<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Name: Susanty Pryscilla Adresina Manuhutu.
\nPlace and date of birth: Jakarta, January 7, 1974. Height\/weight:
\n176\/52. Education: School of Architecture of the Indonesian
\nChristian University (UKI). Title: Miss Indonesia 1995.
\nBoyfriend: \"No comment!\"<\/p>\n
Her speech was halting and her eyes glistened with tears. Her
\nsparkling crown nearly fell from her head several times because
\nshe was shaking with happiness. Words failed her. Emotions were
\npalpable.<\/p>\n
In the end, after catching her breath, she managed to finish
\nher speech, in which she thanked her family, companions, the
\norganizing committee and Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"I can hardly describe my feelings. I did not anticipate that
\nI would win,\" she told reporters who, after her speech,
\nmercilessly and excitedly bombarded her with any question that
\npopped into their heads.<\/p>\n
One reporter asked if she would marry a Westerner in the
\nfuture. Another one asked why she does not like dangdut music and
\nif she regretted being born female. The others asked about her
\npresent boyfriend, her dreams, her plans, her family, her
\nhobbies, her phone number, her measurements, why she doesn't want
\nto be a movie star, if she wants to be in the Miss Universe
\nContest, and why she looks like Indonesian film star Meriem
\nBellina.<\/p>\n
To the 21-year-old Santy, it was a really great moment. From
\nbeing nobody the day before, she was suddenly someone who will be
\nknown all over the country, something many Indonesian girls dream
\nabout every night.<\/p>\n
\"I have never dreamt about this,\" she said, adding that she
\njoined the contest on the urging of her friends and parents.<\/p>\n
In front of hundreds of guests in the Puri Agung Hall at the
\nSahid Jaya Hotel on April 11, a 11-member jury, including
\nbusinessman Setiawan Djodi, designer Ghea Sukarya, scientist
\nPratiwi Sudharmono, novelist La Rose and beautician Kusuma Dewi,
\nvoted her the best of 30 girls from each province. She
\nrepresented Maluku Province.<\/p>\n
The first runner-up was Rosa Rai from Jakarta. She is a 20-
\nyear-old student at the School of Medicine at the University of
\nIndonesia. The second runner-up was Jambi's Dian Cahyani, 21, a
\ncomputer science student.<\/p>\n
Brightest<\/p>\n
Winning the contest means getting the highest score in the
\n\"brain, behavior and beauty\" categories.<\/p>\n
\"Brains are on the top, beauty on the bottom. The same
\ncriteria is applied at the Miss Universe contest,\" explained
\nDjodi.<\/p>\n
That evening the audience witnessed the truth of Jodi's
\nsaying. There was no swimsuit parade, as in the Miss Universe
\nContest where the girls exhibit their physical beauty to the
\nextreme. Instead, the focus was on their eloquence in delivering
\na speech and answering questions.<\/p>\n
To the amazement of the audience, the girls were different
\nfrom the urban, headstrong girls they often see on local TV
\nquizes who know nothing but American pop culture.<\/p>\n
The girls no doubt have good hearts. The audience was touched,
\nfor example, when Yelina Ningsih Aronggear, a student
\nrepresenting Irian Jaya province, honestly and a bit shyly said
\nit was the first time she had rode an elevator. Deasy Mulyani
\nJachnis, who works in the flour industry in West Sumatra, said
\nher only dream was to meet Mbak Tutut, the popular name for Mrs.
\nSiti Hardiyanti Rukmana, eldest daughter of President Soeharto,
\nwho owns the industry that employs her.<\/p>\n
They were also gifted, broad-minded, well-informed even about
\nissues they don't study at school. Maria Fransisca, a high school
\nstudent representing North Sumatra, for example, could clearly
\nexplain the meaning of the catchphrase \"global village\". Another
\ncontestant, Sang Ayu Ketut Elizabeth Mantjika, philosophized when
\nshe was asked how to make someone happy. \"Be happy of yourself,
\nthen you'll be happy,\" she quickly answered in English.<\/p>\n
No one doubts that Santy was the brightest of all the girls.
\nShe is the youngest daughter of an Ambonese diplomat and speaks
\nFrench, English and Dutch fluently. The other finalists spoke
\nonly one foreign language, mainly English.<\/p>\n
She lived in Yugoslavia, Senegal and Ethiopia for over a dozen
\nyears, which gave her the opportunity to learn French.<\/p>\n
The audience sensed her brightness that evening when she
\nfluently and cleverly answered questions from the multilingual
\nmaster of ceremonies, Tantowi Yahya, in French.<\/p>\n
As for her behavior, the jury scrutinized all finalists during
\na 10 day quarantine in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
How about her beauty?<\/p>\n
\"What do you mean? Look at her. She is also beautiful,\" Djodi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Santy can now enjoy all the rewards attached to her victory,
\nincluding Rp 1.5 million in cash, a TV set, a flight to Taipei
\nand a bicycle. She will also visit several places here and abroad
\nto promote Indonesian tourism and charity programs.<\/p>\n
But that's all. In other countries girls like her can look
\nforward to something bigger -- Miss Universe. The Indonesian
\ngovernment has yet to allow Indonesian girls to join the contest,
\nwhich it sees as \"against the national culture\", even though a
\nvisit by Miss Universe to Indonesia always generates huge
\ninterest.<\/p>\n
\"There is not yet any indication that the government is going
\nto change the policy,\" said Mooryati Soedibyo, chairperson of the
\nPuteri Indonesia Foundation, which organized the contest.<\/p>\n
Djodi, for one, takes issue with the government's policy.<\/p>\n
\"I can have my personal opinion, right? I am for our
\nparticipation in the contest. If she goes to the contest, we have
\nbig chance to win,\" he said, full of conviction.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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