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our years after its inception, Bali Democracy Forum has evolved significantly into a prominent arena to promote democratic practices in Asia Pacific countries.

The forum has opened opportunities for some countries to accelerate their democratization process by building cooperation with others in a more advanced state of democracy.

Through dialogue-based on sharing experiences and best practices that adhere to the principles of equality, mutual respect and understanding, countries have learned from each other and continued to improve themselves, said Ketut Putra Erawan, executive director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) at Udayana University, the implementing agency of results and programs adopted by the forum.

“The process of sharing experiences and best practices with others, while reflecting on what we have shared is a simultaneous process,” Erawan told The Jakarta Post, citing that Indonesia has built long-term cooperation with a number of countries, including Egypt, Myanmar and Fiji to improve their democracy.

He said the forum has seen rising support from many countries year by year due to its unique approach, which support home-grown democratic process, procedural and structural reform, and linking policy makers through programs and activities implemented by the institute.

“We believe that democracy cannot be simply planted from outside. It should be locally-grounded and developed through a process of trial and adjustment based on the values and culture of the respective country.”

The forum’s theme has moved from the importance of building and consolidating democracy as a strategic agenda for Asia in the first year to seeking to enhance democratic participation in a changing world by responding to the voices of the people in the fourth year.

This year’s forum emphasized that democracy should be built on three pillars: rule of law, economic development and procedural democracy.

Spanish Ambassador to Jakarta, Rafael Conde de Saro told the Post that the forum had reached maturity by being inclusive, accepting countries at different stages of democracy.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that democracy in Indonesia is procedural and symbolic.

“It is nothing but an accessory because it fails to answer the core problem: the welfare of the people,” she told the Post.

“Bali Democracy Forum is only a project to boost the image of the government in the international community. It fails to improve life nationwide because the government seems to only focus on international affairs in such an event instead of promoting our national interests.”

However, international relations expert and the vice president’s deputy secretary for political affairs, Dewi Fortuna Anwar, noted that the transition in Myanmar and revolutionary waves across the Middle East have proved that democracy issues could not be rejected or sidelined from countries’ development.

“The enlarging participation has been a showcase for the significance of the forum for countries across Asia Pacific to share their experiences, ideas and best practices in democracy.”

At the beginning, there was skepticism toward the forum, whether it would succeed to engage non-democratic countries to participate. “At the same time, some countries which are still ‘deficit’ in democracy were also reluctant to take part in the BDF,” Dewi said.

Now, participants are increasing from year to year. “At the first BDF it was only four heads of states or governments at this event, but now you see 11 leaders with 70 observers.”

Lawmaker Mahfudz Siddiq from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said that more participants attending the BDF every year meant the international community saw such an event important because it brings together people from various parts of the world to discuss various topics, which affect all countries in different ways.

“The forum is a valuable instrument for Indonesia to learn from other countries how they uphold democracy, while at the same time others can also learn from us,” he said.

— JP/Desy Nurhayati

— Margareth Aritonang and Yohanna Ririhena contributed to this article from Jakarta