BDF's Future Depends on New Government :Minister

Nusa Dua, Bali (Antara) - The continuation of Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in the future will wholly depend on the new government of elected president Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, stated Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa. "I am not going to speculate about the continuation of BDF in the future as it is entirely the authority of the new government to decide," Marty remarked after attending the Bali Media Forum on Thursday. But, he acknowledged that increasing more number of countries, not only from the Asia-Pacific region but also from other regions, are interested in the BDF. "We cannot see things like that in a crystal ball because we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow. But in reality, the BDF has become part of the democratic order in the region as many countries have reaped the benefits of the forum and continued to showcase their interest in it," Marty noted. Therefore, the foreign affairs minister expressed hope that the next government can sort out the positive aspects of the forum and fix those of lesser relevance and go ahead with it. In the meantime, Marty's predecessor Hassan Wirajuda expressed optimism that the government of Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla will go ahead with the BDF in the upcoming years. "If you ask me how the fate of BDF will be in the future, I believe the new government will go ahead with it because structurally it is complete," Wirajuda informed the newsmen here on Thursday. The former foreign affairs minister explained that the complete structure of the annual BDF involves the government, media, and society. "We have the BDF as an intergovernmental forum, the Bali Media Forum for media groups, and the Bali Civil Society for the community. Structurally, the BDF has had three main pillars: the government, media, and civil society," he explained. (*)