ID :
94294
Thu, 12/10/2009 - 18:14
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/94294
The shortlink copeid
News Focus: DEMOCRACY WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT MEANINGLESS
By Otniel Tamindael
Jakarta, Dec 10 (ANTARA) - Development without democracy will be unbalanced and conversely, democracy without development will be meaningless.
It was the statement made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a function to open Bali Democracy Forum at Nusa Dua in the Indonesian island resort of Bali on Thursday, December 10, 2009.
The president said the process of democracy and development would strengthen each other because democratic and economic development required the accountability of government leaders and officials.
"Each government leader and official who receives the mandate from the people should work hard and do his or her best for the people through development and democratic processes," Yudhohono said.
Therefore, he added, leaders in the government and parliament should be responsible for finding the best possible way to understand the people's aspirations and wishes.
Referring to the Bali Democracy Forum, the head of state said the forum was not designed to debate which one is the best democratic system nor to decide on a standard definition of democracy.
"We know that no democracy is perfect. Democracy, wherever it is and whatever its color is, continues to progress dynamically and endlessly. Therefore, this forum is designed among others for the participating countries to learn from each other's experience in practicing democracy," he said.
Therefore, the Indonesian head of state called on all countries to maintain a balance between political and economic development.
"Together we have to maintain a balance between political and economic development, because an imbalance between development in the two sectors will lead to dissatisfaction and instability," Yudhoyono in his address opening the Bali Democracy Forum here on Thursday.
Present at the opening of the two-day forum were among others Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and hundreds of delegates from 36 countries.
The President said economic development and political development were different but interrelated.
The head of state also mentioned the current global financial crisis which also happened in Indonesia.
"In this regard, I have seen an important lesson from the global financial crisis because it forces the international community to make more democratic economic restructuring efforts," he said.
On the sidelines of the forum, President Yudhoyono and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama held a meeting on Thursday to discuss closer bilateral relations and several regional and bilateral issues.
Several Indonesian ministers attending the meeting included Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Gumelar, Human Rights and Legal Affairs Minister Patrialis Akbar, Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring, State Ministry of Environment Gusti Muhamad Hatta and National Education Minister Mohamad Nuh.
President Yudhoyono and the Japanese prime minister in Bali were co-chairing the two-day Bali Democratic Forum, with 36 countries taking part such as Portugal, the United States, Maldives, and the nine ASEAN member countries except Cambodia.
The forum is to discuss efforts of enhancing democracy in each of these countries.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa stated that some of the participating countries had not been very successful in meeting their aspirations for democratic enhancement in their own countries.
"There are some democratic initiative development among the participating countries, like the Maldives," he said.
After the meeting of Yudhoyono and Hatoyama, Natalegawa and Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojori were to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a form of work of the Official Development Assistance.
Under MoU, the Japanese government will provide assistance in building a number of bridges in Nias and West Nusa Tenggara, a loan to step up Indonesia's economic growth.
The two-day Bali Democratic Forum from December 10-11, 2009 is the second after the first meeting at the same venue and the same dates in December last year.
The first Bali Democracy Forum last year was a new initiative set up by Indonesia to provide a forum for discussing how to build and consolidate democracy in the Asian region.
It was attended by some thirty two countries from ASEAM (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and South Asia, and as far afield as Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, China and New Zealand.
At the first Bali Democracy Forum which was hosted by President Yudhoyono and co-chaired by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in December last year, New Zealand Disarmament Minister Georgina te Heuheu led her country's delegation to the meeting.
At the time, Wellington endorsed the Indonesian initiative to encourage democracy in the region and registered New Zealand's interest in being part of that new Asian forum.
In her speech, the New Zealand disarmament minister emphasized the role of governments as servants of the public will, and set out some of New Zealand's experiences both at home and in the Pacific.
She also outlined New Zealand's efforts to reconcile the interests of Maori with the wider population, instancing the Maori parliamentary seats and, more recently, changes to the electoral system which have "allowed our increasingly diverse population to be better represented in Parliament."***
Jakarta, Dec 10 (ANTARA) - Development without democracy will be unbalanced and conversely, democracy without development will be meaningless.
It was the statement made by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a function to open Bali Democracy Forum at Nusa Dua in the Indonesian island resort of Bali on Thursday, December 10, 2009.
The president said the process of democracy and development would strengthen each other because democratic and economic development required the accountability of government leaders and officials.
"Each government leader and official who receives the mandate from the people should work hard and do his or her best for the people through development and democratic processes," Yudhohono said.
Therefore, he added, leaders in the government and parliament should be responsible for finding the best possible way to understand the people's aspirations and wishes.
Referring to the Bali Democracy Forum, the head of state said the forum was not designed to debate which one is the best democratic system nor to decide on a standard definition of democracy.
"We know that no democracy is perfect. Democracy, wherever it is and whatever its color is, continues to progress dynamically and endlessly. Therefore, this forum is designed among others for the participating countries to learn from each other's experience in practicing democracy," he said.
Therefore, the Indonesian head of state called on all countries to maintain a balance between political and economic development.
"Together we have to maintain a balance between political and economic development, because an imbalance between development in the two sectors will lead to dissatisfaction and instability," Yudhoyono in his address opening the Bali Democracy Forum here on Thursday.
Present at the opening of the two-day forum were among others Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, and Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, and hundreds of delegates from 36 countries.
The President said economic development and political development were different but interrelated.
The head of state also mentioned the current global financial crisis which also happened in Indonesia.
"In this regard, I have seen an important lesson from the global financial crisis because it forces the international community to make more democratic economic restructuring efforts," he said.
On the sidelines of the forum, President Yudhoyono and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama held a meeting on Thursday to discuss closer bilateral relations and several regional and bilateral issues.
Several Indonesian ministers attending the meeting included Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Linda Gumelar, Human Rights and Legal Affairs Minister Patrialis Akbar, Communication and Informatics Minister Tifatul Sembiring, State Ministry of Environment Gusti Muhamad Hatta and National Education Minister Mohamad Nuh.
President Yudhoyono and the Japanese prime minister in Bali were co-chairing the two-day Bali Democratic Forum, with 36 countries taking part such as Portugal, the United States, Maldives, and the nine ASEAN member countries except Cambodia.
The forum is to discuss efforts of enhancing democracy in each of these countries.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa stated that some of the participating countries had not been very successful in meeting their aspirations for democratic enhancement in their own countries.
"There are some democratic initiative development among the participating countries, like the Maldives," he said.
After the meeting of Yudhoyono and Hatoyama, Natalegawa and Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Kojiro Shiojori were to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as a form of work of the Official Development Assistance.
Under MoU, the Japanese government will provide assistance in building a number of bridges in Nias and West Nusa Tenggara, a loan to step up Indonesia's economic growth.
The two-day Bali Democratic Forum from December 10-11, 2009 is the second after the first meeting at the same venue and the same dates in December last year.
The first Bali Democracy Forum last year was a new initiative set up by Indonesia to provide a forum for discussing how to build and consolidate democracy in the Asian region.
It was attended by some thirty two countries from ASEAM (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and South Asia, and as far afield as Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, China and New Zealand.
At the first Bali Democracy Forum which was hosted by President Yudhoyono and co-chaired by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in December last year, New Zealand Disarmament Minister Georgina te Heuheu led her country's delegation to the meeting.
At the time, Wellington endorsed the Indonesian initiative to encourage democracy in the region and registered New Zealand's interest in being part of that new Asian forum.
In her speech, the New Zealand disarmament minister emphasized the role of governments as servants of the public will, and set out some of New Zealand's experiences both at home and in the Pacific.
She also outlined New Zealand's efforts to reconcile the interests of Maori with the wider population, instancing the Maori parliamentary seats and, more recently, changes to the electoral system which have "allowed our increasingly diverse population to be better represented in Parliament."***
