The 10th Bali Democracy Forum marked International Human Rights Day this year in the western Jakarta dormitory suburb of Tangerang, a change of venue forced on the organizers by the untimely eruption of Mt Agung. As usual, the gathering brought together ministers and senior officials from the 10 ASEAN member countries, plus a handful of others from emerging democracies in the Middle East who took part in the 2014 Arab Spring. Having attended two of the forums in the past, I can safely say that most of the discussions would be centered around well-prepared policy speeches.
On that same day, in south Jakarta, the TIFA Foundation – a non-governmental organization established soon after the onset of reformasi at the end of president Suharto’s 32-year rule — hosted its own forum to discuss the progress of democratization in Southeast Asia. Unlike their official counterparts, however, the participants, mostly fellow NGO activists from neighboring countries, shored up by Australian academics from the Australian National University’s New Mandala journal on Asian issues, spoke without prepared speeches about their own personal experiences in their respective societies.
In many ways, the content and the conclusion of both forums were not dissimilar: given the complex dynamics of globalization, the dividends of democracy were either overrated or expectations were far too high. The Bali Democracy Forum debated the question whether democracy actually delivers. TIFA, on other hand, was unequivocal with its conviction that what, in fact, was happening was a race to the bottom.
Are things really that bad? News reports from around the region were not particularly encouraging.
In the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, Human Rights Day commemorations were kept to a minimum amid fears of a government crackdown. In Singapore and Malaysia, the media did not publish any outstanding articles on wat should have been a noteworthy day. Nor did those in Myanmar and tightly-controlled Vietnam. Thailand remained relatively quiet too as activists hunker down under the threatening pressure of the military-led government.
Only the Philippines seemed to show some spunk, in the face of President Duterte’s harsh anti-drug policies. Local news articles called on Filipinos to resist the spate of extra-judicial and the government’s assault on free speech. In Indonesia, news reports reminded the government of unfinished promises to resolve human rights issues, such as the 2004 murder of activist Munir Said Thalib, and the impunity of those responsible for the 1965 pogroms and the disappearance of students and activists during the dying days of the Suharto regime.
Is democracy dead, as one exiled Cambodian participant to the TIFA discussion claimed? Realistically, it certainly looks that way. Yet, there is still enough activism left in a number of ASEAN countries to re-ignite the struggle for freedom and our rights. Perhaps what is needed in these times of uncertainty is not just the political will, but the right kind of leadership.
