Successful inaugural Aletta Dialogue in Jakarta

On Wedesday 2 November, the University of Groningen organized the Aletta Dialogue in Jakarta on the topic ‘development of democracy’. Speakers in front of an audience of more than 70 Groningen alumni, partners and representatives of the government were Prof. Jouke de Vries, President of the University of Groningen (UG), and Dr. Deasy Simandjuntak, Researcher of Politics and International Relations at ISEAS.

Prof. De Vries and Dr. Simandjuntak gave a short lecture from different geographical perspectives on the development of democracy. Conclusions were that in the Netherlands/Europe democracies are currently instable and that in Southeast Asia the democratic process is in decline. Following the contributions by Dr. Simandjuntak and Prof. De Vries, a lively discussion took place between the two speakers and the audience in which viewpoints were exchanged, questions were asked and ideas for future development of democracy were shared.

The Aletta Dialogues are a series of worldwide public dialogues that pay tribute to Aletta Jacobs’ pioneering spirit, fight for women’ rights, her international outlook, and strong link to our university. Each Aletta Dialogue will have a different theme on the crossroads of science and societal challenges. This theme will be introduced by two speakers, an expert from UG and a local/regional expert, after which a discussion follows between the experts and the audience.

• Read more about the first Aletta Dialogue