Miss Indonesia 2008
At the Jakarta Convention Center on the night of 13th May Sandra Angelia from East Java became Miss Indonesia 2008, chosen by a seven panel jury which included our hyper-nationalist politician friend from Golkar Yudhi Chrisnandi. Sandra was also chosen as Miss Favorit by the SMS voting masses.
Also Ran
Kartika Indah Pelapory from Maluku was Runner Up I while Priscilla Yvonne Supit from North Sulawesi was Runner Up II, but enough about them.
Preacher Man’s Daughter
Sandra is the happy result of a union between Christian pastor Yusak Hadisiswantoro and Asti Tanuseputra. Her grandfather, Abraham Alex Tanuseputra, is the founder of the Bethany “Successful Families” Church.
Eastern Values Girl
Sandra says she is not at all used to wearing skimpy, revealing clothing, and she is very aware that as a preacher’s daughter she has to be careful in this area.
On the vitally important bikini issue (see past Indonesian beauty pageant winners’ problems with this - Nadine Chandrawinata) Sandra was asked by journalists - would she be willing to wear a bikini at Miss World 2008 in the Ukraine? Sandra says
I have to wear a swimsuit in the competition, that’s no problem. But if it can be negotiated I will stick to eastern values, that is I will wear a one-piece swimsuit.
Smart
Sandra is an educated girl and after fleeing Indonesia at the age of 13 in the wake of the May 1998 riots she eventually studied architecture at the University of Western Australia in Perth. This may or may not have helped her face the final key question put by the judges, this being
Indonesia is a country rich in natural wealth but so many of its people are very poor and it is a largely agrarian economy. Which economic sector would you prioritise if you were leader?
Sandra took the crowd by surprise, and won the admiration of the judges, by going off on a tangent that the most important thing was to ensure that the law was upheld and applied properly in Indonesia, and that other things would follow from this.
Triumphant moment.