Statement by João Gomes Cravinho, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, on behalf of the Government of Portugal

Bali Democracy Forum

10 - 11 December 2009

Your Excellency Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia,
Your Majesty Sulton Haji Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei,
Your Excellency Mr. Yukio Hatoyama, Prime Minister of Japan,
Your Excellency Mr. Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste,
Your Excellency Dr. Marty Natelegawa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to begin by congratulating Indonesia for having taken the initiative of setting up the Bali Democracy Forum; having itself undergone a remarkable transition to democracy, Indonesia’s commitment to engage so actively in international democracy promotion is an important signal of the country’s political choices, and we believe that deserves high recognition from the international community.

I would also like to note that this second edition of the Bali Forum serves to consolidate an approach at the regional level, and that this level is particularly useful for dealing with and exchanging best practices on the challenges of democracy; it is also an example of how regionally-owned and -led initiatives have been spreading in Asia in the past decade, and the Government of Portugal wishes to underline its appreciation of this process.

Indeed, I would like to put on record that it is precisely this appreciation of the regional dynamics that has brought me here to Bali. There are certain universal elements always present in processes of democratisation, and there are also in each case elements of historical specificity. It is because we believe in the universal nature of democracy that we felt that it would be relevant to participate and to contribute. And it is because we are mindful that democracy must always take root in a very particular historical and cultural context, that we felt it to be important to underline the usefulness of a regional approach. This is why we are observers, and I should say enthusiastic observers.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A few words on democratisation and democratic governance.

Democracies, even long-standing ones, face constant challenges and require a continuous effort from all actors in society, public authorities and representatives of civil society, to ensure that they meet the expectations of those governed; indeed, it is those expectations, more than any other factor, that must serve as the yardstick for measuring the depth and success of a democracy. This is of course another way of saying that both young and old democracies must meet new and much more demanding requirements, than the simple holding of free and fair elections.

This yardstick of popular satisfaction is particularly demanding in periods of crisis, and the current global financial and economic crisis therefore represents a serious challenge for democratic regimes, both young ones and old ones; in the past, during periods of recession, questions have been raised about the suitability of democratic regimes to implement tough measures such as the ones that are required now. Nationalistic and protectionist recipes for dealing with recessions are always at hand to deal with the effect of crises, and everywhere democrats have to face up to the challenge of the simplistic but misleading arguments of those who are less committed to democracy.

However, global responses to the current crisis have so far shown quite decisively that societies that value participation, and competing ideas of how to best deal with economic problems, are better positioned to come up with innovative proposals that may turn current challenges into future opportunities. This understanding must sustain us for some time yet, because even though the worst of the crisis seems to be behind us, we shall be feeling its effects for quite a while into the future.

We can also see that most countries have chosen multilateral approaches to dealing with the effects of the crises, be it through global initiatives such as the G-20, or regional integration schemes. The reinforcement of regional integration is a strong signal of the relevance of multilateralism in contemporary international relations, and I mention this because in the long run democracies are much better equipped than non-democracies for dealing with and benefitting from processes of regional integration.

This question of the relationship between regional integration and democracy goes to the heart of the Portuguese experience. Portugal underwent its own democratisation process just over 3 decades ago, not at all a long time in historical terms, and the regional framework provided by the European Union was crucial in anchoring our political transition to a wider European integration process. The fact that the EU was, and still is, a community of values –  chiefly among those democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law – provided a guarantee for our national efforts to democratise. This same dynamic repeated itself two decades later, with the integration of Central and Eastern European countries, and it can be seen operating as we speak today with a number of countries that are currently candidates to joining the EU.

In other words, for us, and for so many other Europeans, the national objective of European integration was synonymous with the consolidation of our young democracies.

All differences considered, it is very interesting to witness a similar process taking place in Southeast Asia, that is, the gradual development of a Community with democracy as its core value, as is explicitly stated in the ASEAN Charter.

But having noted the similarities and the possibly parallel processes of democratisation, I would add that there is an important lesson that Portugal has learnt from its own experience, and this was reflected in our recent holding of the Presidency of the Community of Democracies: there is no single, ready-made model of democracy that fits every country in the world; there is no questioning that democracy, in its many forms, exists now on every continent; however, it has to respond to different challenges according to the particularities faced by each state.

This is why, during our recent chairmanship of the community of democracies, our main priority was to give democratic states the possibility of exchanging views on the challenges to democratic governance, as well as to highlight the progress of young and fragile democracies toward the  consolidation of their regimes. Nothing is more important in this regard than leading by example, and Indonesia has been doing precisely this.

We think that this perspective fits well with the approach taken by the Bali Democracy Forum, another reason for my country to be pleased at the opportunity to be present here today.

Mr Chairman,

I would like to take a couple of moments to focus on the important link between democratic governance and development. Within the EU we have undertaken continuous work on how best to promote and support democratic governance in development cooperation, and we have evolved towards a common understanding of governance that encompasses a broad range of issues such as respect and promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms, democratization; the rule of law and access to justice; basic public and social cohesion, among others. The challenge that is faced by most developing countries is being able to link in a comprehensive and holistic way this whole range of issues; and as for external actors, or donors to be more precise, they must come to terms with the difficulties of understanding domestic political processes and with the practical means of supporting country-owned reform programs; this is why, when we talk about democracy and development, we believe the issue of local ownership to be crucial;

This is not to say that there is no role to be played by external actors in democratisation processes; indeed, I have just underlined the importance that regional integration had for us, and in the Portuguese case there are various other international friends that played a relevant role in our transition. But, as a general rule, international actors must act only in support of existing internal dynamics, democracy cannot be imposed from abroad. Failure to understand this ends up producing counterproductive results, upsetting often fragile balances that are sought by domestic players.

In this region and on this topic, Portugal has the privilege of working closely with Timor-Leste in the process of consolidating and deepening its young democracy. And we do so with high respect for the Timorese ownership of their democracy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Most of these reflections will no doubt be familiar to the Bali Democracy Forum.

My intention, in coming here from a different part of the world, was to refer to certain issues that reflect my country’s views, and to benefit from the learning process that Bali represents. For if there is one thing that we have come to understand in several decades of democracy, it is that we must never stop learning if our democracies are to deepen and mature, keeping up with changing circumstances. That is the only possibility through which our political systems can measure up to the yardstick of popular satisfaction.

Thank you for your attention.