Wednesday, 20 October 2010
After a year of planning and months of preparation, the Network of Social Democracy in Asia (NSDA) is hosting its 3rd Regional Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Conference is held in collaboration with the Jakarta-based Institute of Welfare Democracy (IWD), the Olof Palme International Center (OPIC) and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Indonesia.
The key focus of the conference will be discussing economic growth from the perspective of social democracy and how social democrats in Asia can offer a viable economic model as we anticipate the failure of the neoliberal model practiced by regimes across the region. The stereotypical perception is that social democratic parties cannot deal with the economy and only are only focused on social justice.
One of the objectives of the conference, therefore will be to position profit-oriented business activities within the framework of social and economic justice. And this is important not least because of the onslaught of economic liberalization in emerging economies where not only workers are faced with mighty corporations given a free reign by governments but national businesses, especially SMEs, risk being forced to go out of business by major multinational corporations.
Social democrats believed that only via a balance between economic growth social justice and environmental sustainability can we guarantee development based on prosperity for all. Therefore, the social democracy gives priority to the supremacy of a democratic and just society over the market.
Among the speakers and organizations represented in the Conference are:
- H.E Fadel Muhammad, Indonesia Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs,
- Budiman Sudjatmiko, formerly an activist who was arrested during the New Order regime and now an MP from the Partai Demokratik Indonesia-Perjuangan (PDI-P)
- Erwin Schweisshelm Resident Director of FES Indonesia
- Jens Orback, former Swedish Minister of Democracy, Metropolitan Affairs, Integration and Gender Equality and presently the Secretary General of OPIC,
- Liew Chin Tong, a Member of Parliament from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) Malaysia
- Ronald Llamas, advisor to President Benigno Aquino III and president of the Akbayan Citizens’ Action Party Philippines
- Ms Bolormaa Nordov former Minister of Education, Culture and Science of Mongolia
- Munawar Liza Zain Majyor of Sabang City, Acheh
- Martin Manurung, Executive Director of IWD
- Steven Sim, Executive Secretary of NSDA
and representatives from Cambodia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines and Sweden.
The Conference is held at the Gran Melia Hotel at the heart of Jakarta’s business and administrative district. The official title of the Conference is “Growth Social Balance and Sustainability: Perspective for Social Democratic Economic Policies in Asia”.