Indonesia’s singing generals

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Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono released his first music album today. According to Reuters, the CD features ballads and religious songs that the president wrote himself. The former general’s talents were not unknown. During his election campaign in 2004, Yudhoyono would occasionally woo supporters with a few songs, and his crooning obviously didn’t cost him the presidency.

Another Indonesian general, former Armed Forces Chief Wiranto, is widely expected to run for the presidency in 2009 and may seek to reclaim his title as Indonesia’s top singing general. In 2000, Gen. Wiranto released his own CD of ballads that he sings himself. Wiranto indicated that profits from the CD sales would go to help Indonesian refugees from the war with East Timor.

And the list of world leaders known to belt out a few notes is not restricted to Indonesia:

• Passport blogged earlier this month about Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez’s own “All Time Hits” CD
• Former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda released an album last year at the age of 82 intended to help raise money for victims of HIV/AIDS
• Chinese president-in-waiting Xi Jingping’s wife is a well-known folk singer
• During a trip last year to Graceland, Junichiro Koizumi decided to sing a few lines of Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” in front of reporters; the former Japanese PM even released his own “best of” album of Elvis selections in 2001
• In 1999, then-President Joseph Estrada of the Philippines released a ballad he sang accompanied by a 72-piece orchestra
• Former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung used his vocal abilities in television ad spots designed to promote tourism in his country back in 1998

Let’s just hope that Hillary Clinton doesn’t get any ideas from all this singing.