Denpasar
Greetings of Peace to all of us
Salom
Namo Buddhaya
Om Swastiastu
It is with tremendous pleasure and happiness that I stand here and speak to you, delegates of the members of the Progressive Alliance, and delegates of political parties as well as those from labor parties and organizations. 
Welcome to the Gods Island. This moment reminds me to a historical event which also attended by several countries and initiated by Indonesia, the Asian African Conference. The spirit and soul of the conference has become milestone for the establishment of countries in the Asian, African, and Latin America regions. Dasa Sila Bandung has incinerated the birth of nation movements, to have mutual relationship in order to fight for their freedom and independence who have been under the claw of colonialism and imperialism. For me, this is the most important example in our human kind history, how collective awareness and also solidarity have been overstep the boundaries of countries, they became a positive strength of independence, which therefore was continued by the first Non-bloc Summit Conference in Belgrade/Beograd in 1961. I was present as the youngest delegate, at that time I was 14 years old.
What remained in my memory, and even became an aspiration/dream that I could not erase from my soul and thought is the establishing of a strong brotherhood among countries, an emotional bonding of nations, and eventually a cooperation between countries. It was certainly extraordinary, that at the time the world’s political condition was crystallized into two huge blocs, the eastern bloc and the western bloc , a new hope emerged from and was spearheaded by a handful of leaders of very young countries.
Clearly and distinctly they said “we non-blocs, we do not side with any bloc”. That movement was based by a spirit of effacing the practice of “exploitation de l’homme par l’homme, exploitation de nation par nation”.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Time have indeed changed, but colonialism and imperialism are still very much alive. Liberalism and capitalism infiltrate through global financial issues, through information and technological issues, through environmental issues, and even, frequently, through the guise of international law. Such a condition gives birth to financial and bank crimes, narcotics, and even to human trafficking. (We also face unavoidable changes in nature, such as global warming).
It is my contention that political parties should pay serious attention to such problems. Every country’s economic sovereignty also face serious challenges as a result of financial crimes through strategic transfer pricing, bank crimes that systematically become an organized legality to indulge in embezzlement and tax evasion, and money laundering.
This is the appropriate momentum to prove that political parties are capable of creating various laws and law products, that is valid to be used in a country as well as in a bilateral and multilateral agreement to end the practice of “negative bank secrecy”. I am confident that we can work together in the fight/war against embezzlement and tax evasion, two of the many causes of the people’s impoverishment.
I strongly believe, that if starting today we seriously work together, in the coming few years, each of us will acquire “full tax rate”. Our first concrete step towards this goal is through Progressive Alliance, by moving and striving together to save our people’s money, returning it to the country’s treasury, and hereafter using it as development capital characterized by economic independence and political sovereignty of each country.
Another important issue is connected with food. Food is at the heart of the people’s life. Until today and for the years to come, I will not cease to fight for food sovereignty , not only for the people of Indonesia but also for the people of other countries. I am not against import, and I am sure that we all share the same view, we all try to prevent food from being used to dominate other nations, only to go after profit that will benefit only certain parties. Satisfying the need for food is a basic matter, we do not have the right to ruin the food sovereignty of a country by making another country the market of our country’s commodities. If you happen to wish your people to have sufficient food of good quality, and at the same time wish to strengthen farming and the food industry in your country, so do I: I have the same dream and the same fight. This is what I always say to the government, free market does not mean zero protection for our own food commodities. A just and fair market, that is the goal of our struggle, particularly in the food sector.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
We have to believe that the party is a tool for liberation, as well as a tool for our struggle. I believe that the party and organization have the duty to educate the people in voicing their opinion and involve them constructively and legally in the country’s economic and political development. The party is a tool for the people to fight for their basic rights to clothes, food, housing, health, education, employment, social security; it is also a tool to ensure a civilly developed freedom of religion within a frame of mutual respect, and is not to be separated from the attempt to develop culture as the nation’s identity. Those have become the spirit of constitution which becomes foundation of Indonesia as the realization of Indonesian basic values, Pancasila.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I truly hope that an event like this does not become a routine agenda without the spirit of emotional bonding. Aspirit that can make a political party become a bridge, and also a pillar for world peace and for a social justice welfare to materialize in every corner of the world. Let us make an agreement and agree on defining and understanding global problems, formulate strategies and steps to solve those problems. I believe that if we are capable to solve one problem, we can find a way to solve all problems. One thing we dearly need is our initial agreement that should not never change, that in solving global problems we will not use violence, or threats through power nor the misuse of power. If we use those means, we will surely fail. Or worse, they will result in bigger global problems. Therefore, we should re-access our international laws and agreements, so that the solution of all global problems will be based on the international laws and agreements in justice.
Last but not least, I urge every one of you: Do not let it end with written recommendations; do not just walk from one seminar to another, from one conference to another.
It is very obvious that at present all the major problems of the world are interconnected. In the globalization and free market area the world does not seem to have partitions. However, we do have the same obligation to do “the best for our people and nation without suppressing other peoples and nations”. Every country has the duty to fight for humanity, social justice, and world peace. However, likewise, each country has the right to protect its people and nation. The last point in the Pancasila is the “Social Justice for All Indonesian People”. To be applied globally, this should perhaps become International Social Justice.
Through Progressive Alliance, I invite all of you to move together, to keep moving, ever onward in the struggle and real collective movement among nations, through the cooperation of parties and mass organizations. Let us solidify and unite the world’s progressive strength in a spirit of gotong royong/mutual cooperation, to make our dream “To Build The World Anew: Unity in Diversity With Solidarity and Social Justice”, come true.
Wassalamualaikum, wr, wb
Om shanti shanti shanti om
