ICC Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman participated in the 5th Presidential Friends of Indonesia Programme 2012 in celebration of 67th Independence Day of Indonesia. The Independence Day of Indonesia was 17th August. Mr. Rahman was invited as a Special Guest of the President of the Republic of Indonesia at this national celebration in Jakarta, says an ICC,B press release.

The 5th Presidential Friends of Indonesia Programme 2012 organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia invited 10 ten Special Guests from ten different countries representing parliament, former minister, business leader and university professors and civil society representatives. Countries invited are: Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Fiji, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Republic of Korea, Tunisia and Vanuatu.

Mahbubur Rahman was the only business leader in the group. The others included: Speaker of the Vanuatu Parliament Hilton Dunstan, M.P., Former Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation of Myanmar Maj. Gen. Nyunt Tin (Retd.), Chairman of Insurance and Reinsurance Brokering of Tunisia Imed Taktak, Dr. David Hill, Professor of Murdoch University, Australia, Dr. Yang Seung-Yoon, Professor of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea, Dr. Yo Nonaka, Sr. Visiting Researcher, Keio University, Japan and others.

Mahbubur Rahman and other special guests called on the President of Indonesia Dr. H. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Former President of Indonesia Mr. B. J. Habibie, Foreign Minister Dr. R.M. Marty M. Natalegawa and Governor of Central Java Mr. Bibit Waluyo and exchanged thoughts and ideas on topical issues including current economic situation and political developments in the region as well as elsewhere in the world.

The seven-day programme from 12-18 August for the visiting friends of the President included presentation of the reformed electoral system of democratic Indonesia and the dialogue on “Democracy and Economic Development: lndonesias Lessons Learned and Best Practices”. The Independent General Election Commission has its organisational structures at the national level, 33 Provincial and 497 Regency/City level. There are three general elections in Indonesia which are organized directly: first — Members of the Parliamentary (National, Provincial and Regional/City) Elections and Regional Representative Council, second — General Election to elect President and Vice President and third — General Elections of Head and Vice Head of Regions for Provincial, Regional/City level. In 2009 election there were about 171.3 million registered voters for parliamentary election and 176.4 million voters for Presidential and Vice Presidential elections. The next election is due in 2014 for which the Election Commission has already started its necessary preparation and drawing up schedules of events.

Indonesia is the largest Muslim country and today it is an emerging economy and has become the 16th world economic power. In a middle income country of 245 million people it is not without problems of poverty and unemployment; which is being addressed by the Yudhoyono Government in a manner showing signs of gradual decline.

It may be mentioned here that the Government of President Dr. H. Susilo Bambang continuously working to deal with six major agenda: Corruption Eradication; Bureaucratic Reform and Good Governance; Ethnic Violence and Social Clash; Investment Climate and Law Certainty; Infrastructure Development and a Fiscal Policy in facing the global economic crisis.