The second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) ended Friday with Asian countries expecting Indonesia to organize more activities in addition to the annual meeting at the resort island to strengthen democracy in the region.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said one of the ideas proposed during the two-day meeting was to launch an election visit program in which participating countries could learn from each other through close study. The idea was floated by Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who co-chaired the forum.
“We’ll study and identify which of the proposals we need to prioritize,” Marty said after closing the meeting, attended by 48 countries, including observers Italy, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Spain.
“We’ll later outline the form of such cooperation.”
Hatoyama’s proposal raised the suggestion that the BDF could later facilitate the involvement of the international community in making a success of the 2010 elections in Myanmar, in which opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, still under house arrest, is expected to take part.
Marty did not deny the possibility, but made clear the initiative should come from Yangon.
“Whether through the BDF or any other forums, we would like to see constructive elections [in Myanmar],” he said.
“If Myanmar considers it necessary to have [foreign involvement] in order to hold a successful election, [the BDF will facilitate it].”
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