Bali: Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has extended his support to the ongoing democratic transition in Myanmar.
“Early this year in Southeast Asia, Myanmar conducted a general election and the country is at present facing a political transition as part of a democratic road map,” he said.
“We give our support for Myanmar to continue the process of democratic development and the reform in a bid to gain a lasting peace and reconciliation,” Yudhoyono said while inaugurating the two-day 4th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) here on Thursday.
Myanmar is going through a democratic reform after decades of being blighted by military rule and international isolation. Yudhoyono also mentioned the ongoing process of democracy in the Middle East and North Africa in his speech, citing the transition to people’s need for more space in expressing their views.
“The development in the Middle East and North Africa that we know as `Arab Spring` produces a change that we cannot predict whatsoever…It means that an effective government needs to support civil societies,” President Yudhoyono said. Meanwhile, Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa said the two-day forum is seeing an increase in participation of state heads and government leaders from the Asian region compared to previous years. He said the rise showcased significant contribution by BDF in architecting quality democratic structure in Asia .
“The increasing number of state and government leaders in the BDF indicates the importance of democracy at present,” Natalegawa said. The two-day forum, being held at Bali`s International Convention Centre here, is participated by foreign leaders such as Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Mongolia PM Sukhbataar Batbold among others. (Agencies)