February 25, 2009 

“In Democracies, Political Rivals Work Together,” Clinton Says

Bahasa Indonesia

By Michele Austin Brooks
Staff Writer at www.America.Gov

Jakarta, February 25 – In democratic countries like the United States, political rivals often work together after an election, Secretary of State Clinton said.  Speaking with a group of Indonesian journalists in Jakarta on February 19, Clinton said she had been asked throughout her Indonesia visit why she was willing to work for President Obama after running against him for the Democratic presidential nomination. 

“It’s because in our country, in our democracy, we try after we have elections to come together and look for solutions to the problems that we face,” Clinton said.  “People get very invested in their campaigns and in their positions.  But when it’s over, it’s important to say, ‘Okay, what are we really trying to achieve here and don’t we want to work for the good of our country?’” 

Clinton said she was honored and surprised when Obama asked her to be secretary of state. While discussing the opportunity with Obama, “I became convinced that it would be an exciting and important opportunity to work with our new president and to try to send a different message to the rest of the world about what America was doing and thinking,” Clinton said. 

Cooperation often is found among rivals from different political parties, Clinton said, referring to Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s Election Day concession speech. Concession speeches congratulating the victor are a hallmark of the American political process. McCain will not agree with all of Obama’s decisions, but “he is going to be a contributing member of the government,” Clinton said. She added that she hopes to see similar developments in Indonesia following its presidential election in July. 

Several of the journalists, who covered the U.S. presidential elections and are reporting on the Indonesian presidential election, said that such post-election cooperation is rare in their country.

In response, Clinton said that although the United States has been practicing democracy for more than 220 years, it is “still not perfect.” Just like Indonesia, a “young, vibrant democracy,” the United States continues to work hard to maintain its democratic principles, which extend beyond free elections. 

An independent judiciary, a corruption-free government and a responsible free press are essential to ensure that “no matter who wins, the democracy survives and keeps going,” the secretary said. 

A complete transcript of Clinton’s roundtable interview is available here:  (http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2009/February/20090223135523xjsnommis0.4514124.html&distid=ucs)
 

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