Obama praises role of media, organizations in Indonesian election

United States President Barack Obama has praised the active role of the media and community organizations and other voters in bringing the implementation of the presidential election held on July 8, 2009 to a success.

The high voter participation and active campaigns by the all contestants and the enthusiastic attention of the media and community organizations were proof of the strength and dynamism of democracy in Indonesia, Obama said in a statement in a press release, made available by the US embassy in Jakarta to Antara on Wednesday.

In the past few years, Indonesia played a bigger role in the international fora. "We very much praised it, as Indonesia has made a significant contribution to Asia and to the world in many fields such as to peace, conservation and protection of the environment, development of some multilateral organizations in the Asia Pacific region and the empowerment of democracy and civil society and others," Obama said.

The relations between the US and Indonesia were based on mutual interest and values of tolerance, the respect of human rights and diversity, increase in economic development. "I and President Yudhoyono are committed to jointly work for the development of a comprehensive partnership on the basis of joint aspirations, values and interests," he said in a statement.

Earlier, Presidential spokesman Dino Patti Djalal said there had yet to be a direct communication over the telephone between President Obama and President Yudhoyono.

"President Obama congratulated Yudhoyono through a special press statement which was released by the White House, but so far there has been no direct congratulations from the US president to Yudhoyono through a telephone conversation," Patti Djalal said.

But Patti Djalal said he was certain Obama would directly congratulate Yudhoyono on his winning last Wednesday`s presidential election in Indonesia, aside from the press statement because a White House official had contacted Indonesia for that purpose.
"We are still waiting for direct congratulations by phone from President Barack Obama," Patti Djalal said.

The presidential spokesman said President Obama`s congratulations through the White House press statement was a new style felicitation which even indicated the US great attention to Indonesia.

"Obama`s congratulations through the press statement is much better than a direct one by phone because it shows how great US attention is to Indonesia," Patti Djalal said.

According to Patti Djalal, Obama said in the White House press statement that Yudhoyono`s victory in Wednesday`s presidential election had a good impression in the democratic festivity in Indonesia on July 8, 2009.

Besides personally congratulating Yudhoyono on his election victory, the US president also expressed his expectation that with Yudhoyono`s next government, cooperation between Indonesia and the United States would even be further strengthened.(antaranews.com)