Women of the Year: Ainur Rokhima

If I am the owner of a magazine like Time, which is always have People of the Year, I want to vote for Ainur Rokhima a.k.a. Inul Daratista as Women of the Century. Even though, Time Magazine already publish one article on her. Read this quote from the article:

She's become the live wire connecting Indonesia's still nascent freedom of expression with the country's entrenched—and often hypocritical—moral majority, yet her popularity just keeps surging. "She's the one and only one who can survive [in the country's cutthroat music scene]," says maverick TV and music producer Arswendo Atmowiloto. "She's what the people want."

I am totally agree with Arswendo, even until now.
Regarding my vote for Ainur Rokhima, here are some of my so far arguments:

1. She is a simple but innovative entertainer, since she starts from a grass roots type of performance and later found her own unique style, which become a trade mark. And, no one can follow her style. It looks simple, but need lots of practice. That’s why I called it innovative. In fact, I want to call her entrepreneur for this trade mark in show business.

2. She is a dangdut performer, one of unique and typical Indonesian type of music. Or you may say, she is people’s performer if you agree that dangdut is people’s music as well. Thus, she gives significant influence on the development of dangdut music themes. In fact, she makes the music become widely accepted in some part of the world.

3. She has her own natural and traditional humble of life style. Although she already become a celebrity but she is still naturally act like ordinary people, which is admirable if you compare with so many other celebrities and their glamour and intriguing life. Personally, that’s why I like her personality because she seems honest and not hypocrite. This argument becomes stronger for me especially after I read this article.

4. She has become a hero for some people in Indonesia. While Indonesia lack of good example, she shows us a striving story on how she begin her life and even prove that she is nothing than an ordinary person who fight very hard for her own better life.

5. Lastly, she was not only won my sympathy in the year 2003 after the first issue arise, but also grasp some more of my stigma on religious leader or artists or whatever people who always talk about religion law and ‘akhlak’. If her hips so tempting-problem, why those people do nothing to act as hard as they can do to stop more basic problem such as corruption, bribery, radical movement, or even create business for more employment and eradicate poverty? Not just preaching and promise heaven for people. Pray and reading holy book is pure nonsense if they only able to judge other people instead to prove their contribution.

So, I do not want you to follow or agree with me. And I do not need to be a big fans of her. But, I will vote for Inul for Women of the Year surely.