YLDA@IFLRY Manila Event
2008-08-08

The YLDA Delegation to the IFLRY Manila meeting. (L-R) YLDA Program Officer Pey Canlas, YLDA Execom member Camelia Puji Astuti, and YLDA partners Somphon Potisophon of Democrat Party Thailand and Roji John of Center for Public Policy Research India.

The Manila overcast skies and heavy rains failed to dampen the spirit of about fifty young liberals who gathered in Manila and Subic Philippines for the bureau meeting of the International Federation of Liberal Youth or IFLRY from July 24 to 28, 2008.

As regional partner of the global movement for liberalism and democracy, the Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) sent a full delegation from its own Executive Committee to participate in the event.

Speaking for the organization host Kabataang Liberal ng Pilipinas (KALIPI), YLDA Secretary General and IFLRY Vice President Jan Argy Tolentino proudly observed; "this is the first time the Philippines hosted such a strong gathering of liberal youths from all over the world. This is truly a historic event for the liberal youth movement in the country."

"As the acknowledged gateway for liberal youth movement in the region, YLDA stands proud as partner of IFLRY and KALIPI in organizing the event," says YLDA President Rajendra Mulmi on his solidarity speech delivered before the delegates on July 25. In the same speech, he also acknowledged and expressed support to the IFLRY initiatives, activities and programs here in Asia, including the possible enlargement of the federation's membership in the region.

YLDA, which boasts of 12 member organizations in Asia, has committed to bring more YLDA members into the IFLRY fold. In this edition of the IFRLY meeting, member and observer organizations from YLDA presented profiles of their organizations before the plenary. This presentation is the first step towards formal application for membership with IFLRY.

YLDA Executive Committee members Camelia Puji Astuti of Garda Bangsa Indonesia and Chee Wey Hng of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Youth Malaysia both highlighted their organizations' commitment to cultural and religious tolerance, human rights, and youth activism during their separate presentations.

The other YLDA delegates to the event include YLDA Program Officer Pey Canlas, Liberal Youth South Asia (LYSA) President Deependra Chaulagain, Somphon Potisophon of Democrat Party Thailand, and Roji John of Center for Public Policy Research (CPPR) India.

Garda Bangsa Garda Bangsa was formed in 1998 following the successful political reform spearheaded by students and other campus activists to depose the tyrannical regime of President Suharto. The organization was founded by Abdurram Wahid, a former adviser of President Suharto who resigned following an escalation in government corruption and political management by the administration. He championed "Responsible Openness" within the government system and proposed the establishment of a Reform Committee in order to mitigate poor governance within the administration. His calls were left unheeded and so he eventually withdrew support for the government and joined the efforts advocating for reform in the government. Read more...