Obama Delivers Speech at Indonesian Diaspora Congress

Jakarta, (Antara) - Former US president Barack Obama delivered a keynote speech at the opening session of the Congress of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global at the Kasablanka Hall here on Saturday.

Obama delivered a speech, lasting about 30 minutes, in front of thousands of members of the Indonesian diaspora who came from the US, China, Mexico, Germany, Suriname, Qatar, Oman, Brunei Darussalam, France, the Netherlands, and Myanmar.

Members of the diaspora applauded the 44th US president when he came up from the right side of the stage.

In his speech, Obama recounted his most memorable experience during a trip to Bali and Yogyakarta and said, "Indonesia is part of me."

Obama has been known to have a proximity to Indonesia, as he had spent several years of his childhood in Jakarta.

Some nine thousand people from 55 countries are attending the 4th Indonesian Diaspora Congress themed "Synergize To Build the Nation," being held on July 1-4, 2017. Some 42 speakers are scheduled to be part of 12 different sessions of the event.

Obama's speech at the opening session of the Indonesian Diaspora Congress was his first in Asia after completing his duties as president of the US in January 2017.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Indonesian Diaspora Network Global Dino Patti Djalal noted in a press conference recently that Obama has a special relation with Indonesia and has become an inspiring figure for the Indonesian people and diaspora.

According to Djalal, Obama was invited to Indonesia by President Joko Widodo to enjoy his holidays in the country.

Despite evading to mention the arrival date and the overall agenda of Obama during his stay to the country, Djalal asserted that all matters related to the visit had been coordinated by the government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The former deputy foreign minister has proposed the theme of globalization and pluralism to be delivered by Obama in his speech, as the two aspects are an integral part of the diaspora phenomenon.(*)