The Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Ratu Inoke Kubuabola has been invited to participate in the 3rd Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in Indonesia.
The conference will be held on December 9-10 with a theme “Democracy and the Promotion of Peace and Stability”.
Ratu Inoke will be among leaders from 50 countries in the Asia Pacific Region including 15 Heads of State/Government and also 40 countries and other international organisations as observers.
The Indonesian Government views that it is inevitable to establish a regional forum on democracy, which will contribute to the improvement and intensification of dialogue as well as the growth of mutual acknowledgement, understanding and appreciation among nations of the Asia Pacific Region.
The forum in the two-day conference hopes to contribute to the cause of world peace and stability in the long-term.
The Bali Democracy Forum 1 (10-11-2008) and the Bali Democracy Forum II (10-11, 2009) acknowledged the strong linkages between democracy and peace and stability, as well as economic development.
The forum noted that most participating countries were still facing challenges related to the promotion of peace, stability and welfare.
The issue at hand is whether democracy can provide an answer to those challenges, the capacity of which relates legitimacy of the democratic process.
Therefore efforts in promoting democracy can assist participating countries of the BDF elevate their capacity to respond to those challenges. Accordingly, democracy should help deliver peace, stability and welfare at national as well as regional level.
Ratu Inoke in a statement said he hoped to highlight that in recent decades, most countries had chosen the path of democracy and that majority believes democracy was the best form of Government – and Fiji was no different.
The Fiji Government he said, in full adherence to the Presidential mandate to ensure true democratic, non-communal, equal suffrage based elections for parliamentary representation is held by September 2014, had developed a Strategic Framework for Change (SFC), which was a home-grown process for positioning Fiji as a modern nation and that it would ensure a return to parliamentary Democracy.
“Sustainable democracy is our goal, and this is what we are calmly and progressively working forward within our reform agenda under the Strategic Framework for Change,” Ratu Inoke said.
He will also confirm to the forum that the Government of Fiji subscribes to the view that democracy and development are inextricably linked, which are the overarching sentiments expressed at the Bali Democracy Forum II last year.
“Towards this end, under the Strategic Framework for Change (SFC), the Fiji Government has identified economic development as a key focus for the immediate future, with policy initiatives that will be pro-growth and pro-poor,” Ratu Inoke said.
“In 2014, Fiji will go to General Elections under a constitution that, for the first time since our independence in 1970, will be held under universal suffrage without regard to race.
“Between now and 2014, the adoption of a new constitution is a national priority for Fiji.
“The constitution will of course recognise the basic constitutional principles, such as sovereignty, parliamentary democracy, the separation of powers, the protection of basic human rights under a Bill of Rights, and supremacy of the rule of law,” Ratu Inoke said.
The Foreign Affairs minister is grateful to his Indonesian counterpart Mr Marty M Natalegawa and the Indonesian Government for the invitation to participate in this year’s BDF and to present Fiji’s efforts on its reform agenda.
Ratu Inoke will also convey on behalf of Government and people of Fiji, our sincere condolences to the Government and People of Indonesia and to the families of the victims, for the sad loss of human life resulting from the recent tsunami and volcanic eruption.
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