President: Balanced Needed Between Political, Economic Development

Nusa Dua (Antara Bali) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said all countries should 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.

The  President said economic development and political development were different but  interrelated.

"Development without democracy will be unbalanced and conversely,   democracy without development will be meaningless," the head of state said at the forum attended by hundreds of delegates  from 36 countries.

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 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.

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.(*)