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RI spearheads Asian forum for sharing democratic gains
Having initiated an Asian forum on democracy, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's office of public diplomacy is spearheading strategic directions for the region through the upcoming Bali Democracy Forum
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Having initiated an Asian forum on democracy, the Foreign Affairs Ministry's office of public diplomacy is spearheading strategic directions for the region through the upcoming Bali Democracy Forum.
The Indonesian government hosted a two-day preparatory meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, last weekend to gather 21 experts from Asian countries ahead of the forum's launch next month.
"The main theme for the forum is building and consolidating democracy as a strategic agenda for Asia," said Umar Hadi, director of public diplomacy for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Speaking to The Jakarta Post at the close of the planning session Monday evening, Umar Hadi said its aim was to come up with a consensus on the shared principles the Bali Democracy Forum would advance.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda had opened the meeting calling far Asian countries to start putting democratic practices higher on the list of strategic issues in the regional discourse, Umar Hadi said.
Experts from 21 Asian countries attended, including Azyumardi Azra, noted Islamic scholar of Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University in Jakarta and Ben Reilly, director of the Centre for Democratic Institutions at Australian National University.
"Participants generally agreed that with some Asian countries now beginning to be powerhouses in the world economy, they should also pay closer attention to their political development," Umar Hadi said.
The Bali Democracy Forum aims to promote regional cooperation in the field of democracy and political development among Asian countries. It is expected to contribute to the pursuit of the democratic ideals through dialogue and practical cooperation.
In turn the forum is expected to strengthen democratic institutions at the national level, thus helping to bridge the political development gaps in Asia.
"Indonesia has been very humble in our approach.... On the one hand, yes, we've been undergoing this democratic transformation for 10 years, holding direct general elections at the national level and hundreds -- even thousands -- of local elections peacefully and successfully.
"But on the other hand, we see elections aren't everything. In any democracy many democratic institutions need to thrive. So we realize that, and we're eager to learn from other countries' experiences while sharing what we've learned," Umar Hadi said.
He said the basic point was capacity in the final analysis. "When we talk about elections the question is whether our authorities can implement all the moving parts so the elections are credible, fair, democratic and peaceful."
Good elections depended on not just the capacity of electoral bodies like the independent elections commissions but also the capacity of the police to maintain public order, he said.
"As for democratization, our region is a bit behind," Umar Hadi said. The African Union framework documents clearly mention democracy, human rights and rule of law. "If an African country were to change its government undemocratically, the other countries would be asked not to recognize it.
"With the new ASEAN charter, we are starting with ... the notion of shared democratic norms, rule of law and the protection of human rights. Countries within the ASEAN security community are committed to developing democratic institutions in the region together. Democracy's end goal is to achieve a more stable, more peaceful society," he said.
Umar Hadi further said the Bali Democracy Forum would be inclusive, so it will be open to democratic countries in the region as well as those aspiring to democracy.
As an intergovernmental platform, the forum provides the opportunity for Asian governments to voluntarily step into a level playing field and discuss common regional interests instead of the concerns of one particular country, he said.
Bali was included in the forum's name because Bali has been considered a place where maintaining harmony is a valued tradition. "Moreover, all facilities -- convention centers, hotels and international airport -- are there," Umar Hadi said, adding the government also wanted to promote Bali's profile.
"We are trying to engage the people of Bali more fully in international relations and national politics. We will then have several loci with pools of knowledge and expertise in democratic issues."
