REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The government intends to invite representatives of student executive bodies (BEM) from across Indonesia to attend the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Asian-African Conference (AAC) in Jakarta and Bandung from April 19 to 24.

"I propose that all BEMs across Indonesia be invited to the event, but they must remain calm. By attending the event, they could learn that leaders must have far-sighted vision," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said while inspecting the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC), the venue of the AAC, on Saturday.

By attending the event, the students could learn from the value and spirit of the AAC's initiator, Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, who gathered leaders from the two continents, he added.

"This will be a good lesson for the younger generation that 60 years ago, Indonesian leader Bung Karno had extraordinary far-sighted vision, ahead of those of other countries. This is why he will always be remembered," the vice president remarked.

The commemoration of the AAC's 60th anniversary this time will also serve as a platform to evaluate the relations among countries in Asia and Africa in the last 60 years, he pointed out.

"This is not merely a commemorative event, but also one where the events of the last 60 years in Asia and Africa will be evaluated. This way, we will be able to identify what worked and what did not," he noted.

During the visit, Kalla was accompanied by Presidential Chief of Staff Luhut Pandjaitan, who is also the chief of the event's organizing committee, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, and Tourism Minister Arief Yahya.

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