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Minister savors own historic walk in Bandung
The 60th anniversary events of the Asian-African Conference Commemoration (AACC) have officially come to a close in Bandung, West Java, following the symbolic reenactment of the historic walk made by heads of state and government from both continents in 1955
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he 60th anniversary events of the Asian-African Conference Commemoration (AACC) have officially come to a close in Bandung, West Java, following the symbolic reenactment of the historic walk made by heads of state and government from both continents in 1955.
As the tradition is passed down to the current generation of leaders, one Indonesian minister has added his own meaning to the Friday morning walk from the Savoy Homann Bidakara Hotel to the Merdeka Building
Coordinating Maritime Affairs Minister Indroyono Soesilo told reporters that his experience of walking among the heads of state was a nostalgic moment, saying he was also present at the historic even 60 years ago.
"Sixty years ago, my mother brought along her three-week-old son to welcome the Asian and African heads of state on Jl. Asia Afrika. Twenty-three years ago my father joined a similar historical walk with Asian and African telecommunications ministers," Indroyono told reporters on Friday. "Today I am retracing their steps."
Indroyono recalled how his mother used to tell him stories about the 1955 event, when his father was a first lieutenant in a unit tasked with guarding the state visitors' guard. He added that his parents were still living in the Army residential complex on Jl. Papandayan -- now Jl. Gatot Subroto -- in Bandung, in 1955.
He recounted how his father, former coordinating, political and security minister Soesilo Soedarman, also reenacted the historical walk in 1992 as then-tourism, post and telecommunications minister under former president Soeharto.
He said he was inspired to reenact what his parents and other statesmen had done decades ago, even going as far as to sneak away from his group of invited guests.
"I didn't go directly to the Merdeka Building , but stayed behind to walk with the same heads of state I met a few days earlier," he said on the sidelines of a coordination meeting in Jakarta.
Indroyono managed to get a picture of him walking with the international crowd taken by one of his staff member and said he would frame the photo along with two others depicting the 1955 and 1992 historic walks at his office.
"I was going to ask [Investment Coordinating Board chief] Franky Sibarani to join me, but he [declined] on the instruction that all the other guests were expected to wait at the Merdeka Building. So only I got the historic picture in the end," he added. (nvn)(+++)
