Indonesian workers move a bronze statue depicting President Barack Obama to his former primary school in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — A statue of Barack Obama as a boy was placed late Sunday night at the Jakarta elementary school the U.S. president once attended, after its display in a public park prompted backlash in Indonesia’s capital.

The installation of the bronze statue a week after it was removed from public view was a low-key event officiated by the school’s principal and three local education officials. Scores of proud students had been among the crowd of 500 watching when Jakarta’s mayor unveiled the statue in the nearby park in December.

The likeness based on a childhood photograph shows a 10-year-old Obama smiling at a butterfly perched on his outstretched thumb.

The late night event was scheduled to finish before almost 500 students arrive for school Monday, and was not an attempt to keep a low profile, said the main fundraiser for the statue, Ron Mullers. The statue was also removed from the public park on a Sunday night.

Facebook campaign
Many Indonesians are proud of Obama’s connections to their country, but detractors of the statue’s park display argued an Indonesian hero should be honored instead. A Facebook campaign attracted more than 50,000 supporters of the statue’s removal, and court action was initiated to force it to be removed.

Mullers accused the critics of politicizing a statue meant to inspire Indonesian children to follow their dreams.

“This is a statue of boy named Little Barry who went to this school; it’s not President Obama,” Mullers said.