NUSA DUA - Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned here Thursday that democracy was not enough for gaining prosperity and advancing development.
"Democracy is not enough for gaining prosperity because it must also be completed with rule of law, unity and hard work of the nation," the head of state said.
Speaking in a joint-press statement with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak after co-chairing the third Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) here, President Yudhoyono also emphasized that there was "no single model of democracy" in the world.
"There are a lot of variants of democracy but there must be universal values and spirits within the democracy itself," he said adding that as the initiator of this forum, Indonesia would not change the design and format of the intergovernmental dialogues about democracy within the BDF.
"I am happy with the increasing number of participants but the design and format of this forum will not be changed," President Yudhoyono said.
The BDF was designed as a dialogue forum in which the participants shared their experiences of practicing and views about democracy without imposing a particular model. For Indonesia itself, it needs to be wise in giving the meaning to democracy and share its experiences and knowledge about democracy with other countries in the Asian region, he said.
President Yudhoyono also reminded of the richness of Republic of Korea in practicing democracy. Therefore, he said he highly appreciated the presence of President Lee Myung-bak as the BDF’s co-chairman despite domestic affairs that he was facing.
President Yudhoyono said Lee Myung-bak’s presence did reflect the depth of his love to democracy. Due to its remarkable achievement in development, democracy and prosperity for its people, Indonesia need learn from South Korea.
In his address, President Lee Myung-bak praised Indonesia’s initiated democracy forum saying that it was "excellent in terms of substance and proceeding".
This South Korean leader who left the Indonesian resort island of Bali shortly after having the joint-press statement also praised President Yudhoyono that he called "the best figure" for organizing this democratic forum.
"This forum is a great asset for Asian countries," he said adding that South Korea also learned from Indonesia as a pluralistic and democratic nation.
President Lee Myung-bak also touched on the two countries’ partnerships in advancing economic growth and backed President Yudhoyono’s anti-corruption commitment as reflected in the recent G-20 Summit in Seoul.
The third BDF, convened at Westin Hotel in Bali Island’s Nusa Dua resort until Friday, was attended by heads of delegates and observers from 71 countries.
Besides Lee Myung-bak, other participating heads of states were Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, and Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao of East Timor.
During the leaders’ session, the participating leaders and heads of delegations focused on "democracy and the promotion of peace and stability" in their remarks. The first round of the leaders’ session was chaired by President Yudhoyono while the second round was headed by President Lee Myung-bak.
Among top ministers and officials attending the two-day meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of Nepal Sujata Koirala, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, as well as foreign ministers of Malaysia, Iran, Bangladesh, Palestine, Japan and India.
The leaders’ session would be followed by interactive sessions on Friday. At the session, representatives of participating countries will discuss ways under the democratic system to help prevent the occurrence and escalation of violent conflict, and the significance of democracy and economic development for peace-building.
The meeting is expected to produce a "chairman’s statement". It contains comprehensive recommendations on the role of democracy in the promotion of peace and stability based on the participants’ discussions.
The chairman’s statement functions as a guide for the 2011 programs and activities of the Institute for Peace and Democracy. The BDF was originally initiated by Indonesia and started in 2008 as the first intergovernmental forum in Asia about democracy.
At the first meeting in December 2008, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had emphasized "sharing experience, thoughts and ideas for cooperation to advance democracy" as the BDF’s main objective.
At the time, the Indonesian head of state said "We are not trying to impose a particular model on any of us. We are not here to debate a commonly agreed definition of democracy for which I believe there is none."
"We have come here (to Bali) not to preach, not to point fingers. Indeed, we have come here to share our respective experience, our thoughts and or ideas for cooperation to advance democracy," President Yudhoyono said in his opening remark three years ago.
source : kompas.com
