Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy

Compared to last year, when the Forum was initiated, the second Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) seems to have gained momentum and genuine interest from various sides. The number of participating countries has increased significantly (to 36, including China) and the Forum is co-chaired by Japan’s Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

As President Yudhoyono emphasized in his opening address, the BDF is not meant to discuss the best form of democracy, or to find a final definition of what democracy is or should be. Rather, the aim of the Forum is to develop a dialogue and international and regional cooperation in the field of democracy. The basic idea behind the Forum is to ‘learn from each other’ in developing democracy. This means that everybody is welcome to participate, although the focus of the BDF is especially on Asia.

Democracy 'not an easy ride'

In the past 11 years after the so-called ‘New Order’ came to an end with the fall of President Soeharto in 1998, Indonesia has had three successful parliamentary elections as well as two direct presidential elections. It now is the third largest democracy in the world, after the United States and India. As Mr Yudhoyono admitted, the democratic process in Indonesia has not been an easy ride, but today the country can boast an equilibrium that is relatively stable and dynamic.

Referring especially to the Forum’s main theme, Mr Yudhoyono emphasized that democracy and development are inextricably intertwined and both processes can stimulate each other. The President then went on to sketch the possible synergy between these processes by pointing out that for both accountability is vital. Furthermore, he stated that, whatever the political system, both democracy and development have to give ample room for participation of citizens, as their lives and livelihoods are considerably influenced by decisions that are taken by those who are given a mandate to rule.


Inclusive growth

Mr Yudhoyono warned that economic and political development should go together, lest dissatisfaction among citizens and political instability would emerge. In this balance between development and democracy, the synergy between the two can be found, for through democracy, development can become inclusive and just, while through development, democracy can become more stable and viable. Both democracy and development seek to empower all layers of a society, but especially those who are weak, small and backward. In this connection the President also referred to the concept of ‘inclusive growth’, which has been adopted by such institutions as the Asia Development Bank, ASEAN and APEC.

The President ended by stating that, ultimately, democracy and development aim at strengthening the dignity of human beings and the prosperity of all peoples.

The Forum continued its first session with contributions of countries as diverse as Timor Leste, Malaysia, Portugal, Australia, the United States of America and China. As a side-event, various representatives of international media will convene to explore the the relationship between media and democracy.

NIMD, which supports democratic development in Indonesia, is represented at the conference. Together with the Jakarta-based Indonesian Community for Democracy (KID), NIMD supports a democracy school programme and an interparty dialogue platform of the seven political parties in Indonesia's parliament.