Bali (Berita Dewan Pers) - Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) bersama Dewan Pers menyelanggarakan Bali Civil Society and Media Forum 2015 di Universitas Udayana Bali, pada 7-8 Desember 2015. Acara yang diikuti oleh 62 jurnalis dan pegiat masyarakat sipil (civil society) dari Asia dan Eropa ini dalam satu rangkaian pertemuan besar Bali Democracy Forum (Forum Demokrasi Bali) ke-8 yang berlangsung pada 10-11 Desember 2015 di Nusa Dua, Bali.
Salah satu sesi Bali Civil Society and Media Forum membahas tentang persoalan “Crossborder Investigative Journalism” dengan menghadirkan narasumber Arif Zulkifli dari Majalah Tempo, Boonrat Apichattrisorn dari National Press Council of Thailand, dan Alwin dari National Journalist of Phillipines.
Dalam sesi ini mengemuka, liputan Crossborder Investigative Journalism di tiga negara relatif sama yaitu kasus pencurian ikan, pembalakan liar, isu lingkungan, isu politik-sosial, dan isu SARA. Tantangan yang sering dihadapi dalam proyek crossborder journalism yaitu keterbatasan penguasaan bahasa asing.
Menurut peserta, perlu kolaborasi masyarakat sipil untuk mengembangkan crossborder investigative journalism pada era digital. Kerjasama tersebut tidak hanya dalam konteks jurnalistik tapi juga segala aspek gerakan sosial untuk mengakkan keadilan dan kesejahteraan bagi publik. *
Remark by the Representative of Bali Civil Society
and Media Forum 2015
H.E. the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia
Distinguish delegates of Bali Democracy Forum VIII.
I, Khin Maung Zaw from Myanmar and my friend Virgillio da Silva from Timor Leste, are tasked by Institute for Peace and Democracy and the Indonesian Press Council to deliver a remark summarizing the substantive contents of the Bali Civil Society and Media Forum 2015.
The forum successfully brought prominent activists, journalists, and intellectuals from Asia and Pacific regions. Around 70 participants ranging from India to Fiji, from Myanmar to Timor Leste tackled pertinent but complicated issues on “Civil Society and Media in the Time of Change: Responding Challenges and Building Sustainability.” The discussions during the forum accummulated vibrance, poise and often collective wisdoms. The forum also learned the lessons from developed democracy like Norway, the Netherlands and Japan.
The forum was a collective endervour of sharing experiences, elaborating challenges and finding solutions both for civil societies and media. The wind of changes affecting politics, shaping the economy, and transforming the technology have shaken the very core of existence of civil society and media in many countries. Therefore, the need to reflect and rejuvinate the roles of civil society and media to shape the change is urgently needed.
Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to share various focuses of the forum.
When electoral democracy become rutinized and diluted into merely a procedure of electing leaders, civil society and media propose agenda of building representative and electoral democracy that promote dialogue and harness people participation.
When transparency is lacking and rampant corruption is pervasive, civil society becomes an antidote of these malaise by shaping the agenda of building transparency and accountability. Together with media, civil socitety voice people’s concern, demand rule of law and insist governance reform.
When gender equality is not guaranteed and voices of freedom are repressed, civil society organizes struggles and media shapes discourses that advocate women’s rights. They demand gender justice, democratize discourses, and advocates the disenfranchised.
When human rights are not defended and humanities are not respected, civil societies will activate the grassroots and media to gather supports. They educate norms of justice, they defend basic rights, and they nurture dignity.
When diversity is not advocated and exclusiveness become the norms, civil society and media will promote dialogues bridging differences, building peace, and shaping social harmonies.
Distinguished delegates and participants of the Bali Democracy Forum.
Despite those aforementioned expectations, Bali Civil Society and Media Forum 2015 also critically assessed the challenges and limitations of civil society and media in practicing their roles. Shortages of activists, funding unsustainability, and narrowing of democratic spaces were challenges mostly cited by participants from civil society. Shortages of good journalists, owners domination, and politically bias media become constraints that were stated by most journalists participated in the forum.
The idea to build support system, both organizationally, cognitively, as well as financially were seriously discussed. It was agreed to continue the conversation and initiatives to build agenda and plan of action of building support system. Several participants have offered to host further dialogues.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentleman.
The changes will also affect the terrain of working area and the competency of journalists and civil society. The terrain often become cross-bordered and the skill of communicating and providing services to the public become ramified. The new skills of deep research and investigation cross-bordered were practiced by new journalism and will be continued by civil society activists and intellectuals. New way of organizing and solving challenges have also been experimented by civil society and media in various areas in the Asia Pacific region.
We would like to share with you that yesterday on December 9th 2015 we visited polling stations to witness the process of local election in Badung regency. We have had a first-hand experience of how ownership of election process come from the people, by the people and for the people manifest in reality.
Finally, we believe that the vibrancy of civil society and proffesionalism of media are necessary but not sufficient conditions for democracy and effective public governance. They need the functioning of state - the state that is legitimate, effective, and democratic. For that reason, we should congratulate the Bali Democracy Forum to continue its mandate in enabling state actors learning from each other about democracy.
We should convey our sincere appreciation for the supports of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia, the Government of Denmark, and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that enable the Institute for Peace and Democracy and the Indonesian Press Council to implement the program.
As representatives tasked by Bali Civil Society and Media Forum, we would like express gratitude and support to the Bali Democracy Forum. May Bali Democracy Forum VIII will be successful and contributive to the practical needs of people in Asia Pacific and beyond.
Once again, congratulation and have a nice Forum.
Thank you.