Asia is rising to the challenge of democracy
By T. Sima Gunawan
JAKARTA (JP): Jusuf Wanandi, the chairman of the board of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), was recently elected to the executive committee and the board of executives of the Forum of Democratic Leaders in the Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP).
Jusuf, one of Indonesia's leading political scientists, was among the 200 people who participated in the inauguration of the forum in Seoul early this month.
The forum, as the name suggests, was founded to promote democracy in the region by peaceful means.
The democratic goals must be based on three principles: no interference in another nation's internal affairs, rejection of all acts of violence, and support for all efforts by Asian peoples to achieve democracy through free expression of ideas and fair and just electoral processes.
The participants shared the understanding that the Asia- Pacific is endowed with traditions, profound philosophies and practices that are consistent with the fundamental concepts of democracy, the concept of popular sovereignty, and the right of rebellion against tyranny.
The forum was set up upon the initiatives of Kim Dae-jung, former South Korean president, opposition leader and human rights campaigner, and former president of the Philippines Corazon Aquino.
Jusuf agreed to an interview with The Jakarta Post recently to give an insight into the background of the forum and also his vision of where the organization should go.
Following are excerpts from the interview.
Question: How do you feel about being elected as a member of the board?
Answer: It is an honor to start with, and at the same time an obligation and responsibility. I agreed to become a member of the board because this forum has real work to do and the responsibility to develop, expand and deepen democracy and democratic values in Asia Pacific.
Q: What is the background of the establishment of the forum?
A: Democratic development has been widespread in the world, especially after the Berlin Wall crumbled, and the collapse of the communist countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The mood, the trend and the movement for democratic values and democratic principles have been established all over the world, especially in this part of the world.
It was not only the Philippines with its "people power" that has developed democratically in the meantime, but also South Korea, Taiwan as well as the other countries, including Thailand.
To a certain extent I have to say to everyone in the Asian countries that the principles of democracy have gradually been expanding. That's why I think this is a worthwhile movement.
It is also important to have this forum established given that some proponents in this part of the world have been saying that democracy cannot be implemented fully in accordance with Western models due to Eastern values, like Confucianism or other views.
In this case these two initiators, Kim Dae-jung and Corazon Aquino, do not agree that Asian countries, East Asian countries particularly, are not up to the challenge to establish democracies.
They do not agree, that we, in this part of the world, cannot absorb Western values into democratic development. They, the initiators, have argued that we have had these principles in Asia for a long time. Maybe not in the form of a government that has been established as full democracy that we know now in the Western countries, but definitely the ideal of the principles and some parts of the efforts to establish democracy are in the history of Asia.
Now they asked: 'why should the Asians not be able to develop democracy?' Of course, we can develop democracy not only based on Western principles, but we can improve this Western type of democracy, which puts too much stress on individualism. The Western type of democracy should also be balanced with some stress and importance placed on the community.
To establish full democracy in the world, we should also develop equality in international relations, not only in the countries concerned, but also related to each others equally in the democratic way. We also have to take care of nature and our environment at the same time.
Q: The Asia Pacific region has different views of democracy. How can the forum promote democracy amidst the differences?
A: The differences are not really basic. The idea of democracy has always existed in the Eastern philosophy, Confucianism, Buddhism and also in Islam. The form of democracy, its political system and the form of government were all started in Western countries. But this does not necessarily mean that democracy cannot be accepted by us as well. We could not only accept it, we could improve it with our values, to make democracy in our own system.
So, the contradiction between East and West is not as substantial as it seems, or as it has been said by (former Singapore prime minister) Lee Kuan Yew and the others.
Q: Do you think it is possible to reconcile the differences?
A: Of course yes, that is what has been happening now in the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. To a certain extent it has also been happening in Thailand and other Asian countries including even in Indonesia. There's pressure for openness and democracy, as we have seen in the Nahdlatul Ulama elections. It is a fact of life.
Q: Why should Indonesia join this forum?
A: This forum was established to enable more relationships between democratic leaders, people who are committed to democratic principles and would like to pursue and support democracy and democratic principles all across the Asia Pacific. I think Indonesia has to be part of it because Indonesia is also having problems with opening up the political system in the future.
Q: In the inaugural meeting, the forum sent a powerful statement to the military regime in Myanmar. Why target Myanmar?
A: Myanmar has been targeted because this has been an obvious example in this part of the world that has been isolated for so long. We think we should get them back into the mainstream and into the regional and international community.
Q: There was an attempt to call for Myanmar's isolation but it was apparently foiled by ASEAN participants who prefer for "constructive engagement." Is that true?
A: The general mood at the meeting was that both approaches have to be implemented. Constructive engagement was to lure Myanmar to participate in the international and regional community again and, due to pressure by the international community, to live up to the resolution of the United Nations.
We do not want to isolate them, but to engage them, to get them out of the isolation and to liven up to the general principles of humanity as well. Pressure of course has to be put on but of course constructive engagement has also been encouraged.
The idea is that we do not intervene in the matters of other countries. We would like to create solidarity with forces in every country to struggle together for democracy. So it is more a kind of solidarity building, to build the forces in every country for democracy in the country concerned. But definitely the basic principle is non-intervention, non-coercion, and non-violence. It is through persuasion, dialog and communication that we would like to achieve democracy in this part of the world.
Q: Could other countries become targets in the future, say China or even Indonesia?
A: In this kind of relationship, the approach is very important. The approach is to assist, help and relate and not to isolate and coerce. That is the important difference between the efforts of some Western countries, who moralistically would like to preach, and even apply economic and political sanctions to other countries. The approach here is to engage the internal forces to create solidarity and advise the countries concerned on how to improve their own condition. That's quite a different approach than what we have known so far. So, even if we relate to China and Indonesia in the future, it will be along this line of assisting and advising instead of with sanctions, intervention or moralistic and economic punishment.
Q: What is your personal vision of democracy in the region?
A: We have to move. The pressures from our own successes in economic development will bring the need for opening the political system and for democracy to be deepened and widened. Secondly, to move forward to become a developed nation, definitely freedom within democracy is very important. Without a democratic system and the necessary freedom, the way for developing new ideas, the economy and the society at large would not be possible. The vision, the flexibility and originality of thinking for a developed and industrialized nation is only possible if the system allows that to happen.
If there is no freedom of thought or expression, it will always be limited for people and individuals to contribute to the state of development. That is the basic need for further development in the country -- to have a democratic system within the freedom concept to be able to rely on initiatives, to have the originality of thinking that is so needed.