Page 128 - BUKU STRENGTHENING THE INDONESIAN PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY FADLI ZON

Role of Leadership and Rise

of Social Movements

Allow me to begin by congratulating and expressing deep appreciation to the International IDEA
and the Government of Mongolia for hosting the 2016 Annual Democracy Forum. I am delighted
for joining as one of the panelists in this global event that brings together Member States and
partners of International IDEA, politicians, policy makers, civil society and representatives of
the academia from around the world. I do hope this occasion will be our effort to promote and
foster international cooperation in the field of democracy through dialogue, based on sharing
experiences and best practices. In this opportunity, I would like to discuss role of leadership
and rise of social movement.

Precisely, there are always struggles in countries for social change in attempting to demand
and aspire the so-called democratization. The wave of democratization, as predicted by
Samuel P. Huntington, has been historical evidence because it has swept southern Europe and
Latin America, middle east, and Asia. Furthermore, it has been global in scope. Eventhough,
democracy is not always the best form of government, it guarantees opportunity for the nations
to reform and renew the existing system.

Indeed, there will always be within it a social movement that opposes and which is always going
to make democracy better. While not all social movement have struggled for democracy, many
progressive social movements have been important actors in the development of conceptions
and practices of democracy. In brief, social movements are closely associated with a democratic
political system and are also often associated with the democratizing of a country and watching
them flourish as a result of the same.

Selected Speeches of the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia I 115