Istana Bogor, 16-1-2006

Remarks at a Dinner for the Delegates to the 14th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum

 

TRANSCRIPT
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT
A DINNER HOSTED IN HONOUR OF THE DELEGATES TO
THE 14TH ANNUAL MEETING OF
THE ASIA-PACIFIC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
BOGOR, 16 January 2006



Bismillahirrahmanirrahim,

Assalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh,
Honourable President of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum, Bapak Agung Laksono, also the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia,
Distinguished Guests and Delegates,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Speaker of DPR, Pak Agung Laksono has informed me that you have all worked very, very hard today. And he has instructed me to personally ensure that you are well-entertained this evening. I told him that my Government takes the matter of entertaining our foreign guests very, very seriously. And I intend to see that it is properly executed, even if I have to perform a song for you later on. Of course, by doing this, I hope the Indonesian Parliament, the DPR, will be persuaded to go easier on me when I submit my next budget proposal to the Parliament.

In any case, I am very pleased to see all of you here tonight, and I am honored to be your host at this Presidential Palace in Bogor. We have many Presidential Palaces throughout Indonesia, but I must say that this is one of my favorites. It is not too close to Jakarta, and not far from Jakarta. The Bogor Palace is situated right next to the very serene Bogor botanical garden. And as you can see when you enter its gates, it is uniquely graced by hundreds of deer, and I am reported by the management of this palace, that the total number of the deer is 836, largest in size than an infantry battalion. But, none of them are part of our dish tonight, I assure you.

Except for the Jakarta Palace, this Bogor Palace has hosted more international events than others. It was here that the various factions from Cambodia met, Your Excellencies still remember, to try to find a political settlement in the late 1980’s. And it was here in the early 1990’s that APEC leaders met and proclaimed the Bogor Declaration none as now the Bogor Goals. In every single APEC meeting, we always refers to Bogor Goals, that is to have trade and investment liberation for APEC members, 2010 for developed countries, and 2020 for developing countries. It is formulated here, in this palace. Tonight, this Palace is again honored to welcome the members of the 14th APPF conference.

I am told that you have had very productive discussions today. You discussed wide-ranging issues from politics to security, as well as regional cooperation. And I am informed that tomorrow you are going to continue your discussion on the topic of economics and other matters. My government is very eager to learn from your discussion. I know that

I know that the last thing you want to hear tonight is more political speeches. But let me just leave you with two simple thoughts. First, I hope that the APPF will continue to grow in stature so that you will be a formidable voice in regional and international affairs. The collective voice of Parliamentarians from 28 countries of different political systems carries a great of weight. The region, the world, expect much from the APPF. Your voice on the issues of the day can, and will, resonate loudly in international affairs.

My second hope is for the APPF to help digest foreign policy become more digestible to our respective domestic audience. I think in most countries, foreign policy tends to suffer from lack of public attention. For the wider public, foreign affair is often reduced into simplistic viewpoints. This is to be expected because the general public is usually more preoccupied with pressing domestic issues. The upshot is often that we understand about the world beyond our immediate national borders, and overlook its complexities.

The distinguished Parliamentarians in the APPF can help fix this. You can help your home audience to better understand the outside world. You can bridge between communities. You can help make the unfamiliar become familiar. You can help reduce misunderstandings. And most importantly, you can help promote the healthy internationalism, the kind of international that is open, cooperative, moderate, tolerant. The kind of internationalism that goes hand-in-hand with a healthy nationalism, not narrow nationalism. When this kind of internationalism blooms in the far corners of the world, I think the world will be a better place, a peaceful place.

My final order of business is to congratulate the APPF on one critical achievement, and I am not sure that you have realized or not. I think you have succeeded in convening a conference at the Parliament building without a single word of interupsi being mentioned all day. Interupsi means interruption. In the realm of Indonesian politics, believe me, Ladies and Gentlemen, that is an achievement worthy of commendation. I wish you can tell me the secret of this achievement. I might be able to use it someday, when I have to go to the Parliament’s Building.

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Enjoy the evening, enjoy the dinner, enjoy the company, enjoy the entertainment. For those of you who are leaving us, I bid you a safe trip and please pass on my best regards to your fellow Parliamentarians back home. And please come back to see us in Indonesia. You will be warmly welcomed again and again.

Thank you.
Wassalamu’alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

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Bureau for Press and Media Affairs
The Presidential Household