V

ice President Jusuf Kalla officially opened the eighth Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Thursday, blaming the failure of the free political system for contributing to the current threat of terrorist acts worldwide.

Speaking in front of 250 representatives from 86 countries and three international organizations, Kalla cited two groups '€” al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) movement '€” as examples of the result of enforced democracy.

'€œWe all know about Afghanistan. Because democracy did not run well, it led to invasions from big countries. So the state and its structures collapsed, leading to the damage of the state system,'€ he said.

Similarly, according to Kalla, IS developed in Iraq and Syria, which tried to enforce democracy through violence.

'€œIt caused groups of people to have radical mind-sets, and that'€™s when terrorism grows,'€ he added.

Kalla said the lesson from the two cases was that democracy could not be enforced with violence. '€œDemocracy must be enforced in a democratic way,'€ he said.

Kalla added that democracy was not a goal in itself. '€œDemocracy is a tool to reach a goal. So, democracy is not a goal,'€ he said.

The Vice President also proudly described the simultaneous regional elections that took place nationwide on Wednesday, saying the polls showed that democracy in Indonesia was running properly.

However, Kalla admitted that Indonesia still had many tasks ahead in implementing democracy. He hoped all countries could find ways forward and could share their respective implementation strategies.

The BDF was initiated by then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono eight years ago.

The seventh BDF was held in October last year and cochaired by Yudhoyono and Philippine President Benigno Aquino III, and was attended by delegates from 85 countries, including Timor Leste the then prime minister Xanana Gusmão and Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.

This year'€™s forum carries the theme '€œDemocracy and Effective Public Governance'€.

'€œWe believe that the theme will provide an opportunity for all of us to listen and learn about the experiences and best practice of other countries in advancing effective public governance as an essential element of democracy,'€ said Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi.

The two-day forum is focused on how effective public governance contributes to democracy. The event was divided into a general debate on the main theme and two panels on '€œBuilding Democracy and Developing Effective Public Governance in Asia Pacific'€ and '€œChallenges, Choices and Prospects for Building Democracy and Developing Effective Public Governance'€.

'€œOur meeting is expected to present a chair'€™s statement on the outcomes, reflecting on the proceedings of the forum and future practical programs and activities from the Institute for Peace and Democracy in 2016,'€ Retno said.

Indonesia'€™s initiative on the BDF was acknowledged by delegates.

Australia'€™s Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs Concetta Fierravanti-Wells conveyed her appreciation to the Indonesian government for holding the event.

'€œI think it is very important. And the fact that we had over 70 different countries participating in this forum, I think it'€™s growing more important. Not only in this region but also in different parts of the world,'€ she said.