SPEECH BY PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
AT THE OPENING OF 6th ASSEMBLY OF WORLD MOVEMENT FOR DEMOCRACY

Jakarta, April 12th 2010

The Honorable Kim Campbell,
Mr. Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy,
Delegates to the World Assembly of World Movement for Democracy,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, on behalf of the Government and people of Indonesia, I am pleased to extend a very warm welcome to all of you to Jakarta, Indonesia.

This is a very impressive gathering of the members of the World Movement for Democracy, who have come from all around the world. I commend you in your tireless dedication in the cause of promoting democracy.

We meet at a challenging time.

On the one hand, we saw a positive trend of significant expansion of democracies, particularly in the second half of the 20th century. Democracies, through different means, expanded in many regions – in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America. That democratic wave also swept Indonesia in 1997, and changed us for good.

As a result, the political map of the world was significantly changed, with all its strategic, geopolitical, economic and social consequences. In Asia, there was a time several decades ago when Japan was the only democracy in the region. But today, Asia is home to many democracies.

But at the same time, we are also seeing a parallel trend of democracies in distress. Military c’oup. Political instability. Constitutional crisis. Divisive polarization. Violent conflicts. The return to authoritarianism. Failed states.

I do believe that, in most cases, this is temporary. Democracy, as we all know too well in Indonesia from experience, is never easy, never smooth, and never linear. It always involves a painful process of trial and error, with many ups and downs.

So do not despair.

I am convinced that ultimately the 21st century instinct is the democratic instinct. And the democratic instinct in the 21th century is inevitably stronger than the democratic instinct in the 20th century.

This is because the world will be more – not less – swept by the powerful force of globalization. Globalization is bringing greater connectivity – of people, goods, services, information, ideas. Nations, communities, families and individuals will be mutually “exposed”. Prosperity will spread, and the self-esteem that go with it. The middle-class everywhere will grow – it is said that for the first time in history, more than half of world population is now loosely categorized as middle-class.

In that process, as they grow in strength and confidence, sooner or later they are bound to seek greater transparency and accountability in the decisions that affect their lives. No political system can ignore this. Their choice is to adapt and survive, or to resist and crumble.

To read the full speech, go here: http://www.presidensby.info/index.php/eng/pidato/2010/04/12/1374.html.