PM’s democracy lecture – but is anyone listening?

The day started with a speech by David Cameron to the Muslim Al Azhar University in Jakarta. It was a gentle lecture about the virtues of democracy, cloaked in courtesy, couched with respect … but I didn’t get the impression the audience could quite see why they should be lectured by this man and our country.

The applause at the end petered out very quickly. I saw lecturers joking to each other throughout the speech. I suspect they don’t get many European leaders in here but these citizens of a fast-growing, buzzing, melting pot country that looks to China and the US with alternating gaze seemed unimpressed.

It was the sort of speech Tony Blair in his heyday would have delivered with more room-filling fervour and charisma but I wonder if they would even have applauded him that loudly. We are here flogging things, not least armaments, as we shrink our own international military reach and ambition.

There was an interesting pre-trip defence of David Cameron’s planned visit to Burma tomorrow. He’ll be acutely aware that there are critics who wonder whether the demobbed generals will stick to their reforms if the going gets tough. Is he being a bit previous in giving his support to President Thein Sein? The PM gives a strong defence of his planned visit:

“Where (democracy) is beginning, like in Burma, we must get behind it.

“So let’s pay tribute to those who have for decades and at huge personal cost to themselves fought for that freedom and reform.

“Not least, of course, the inspirational Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Let’s pay tribute also to the leadership of President Thein Sein and his government which has been prepared to release political prisoners, hold by-elections and legalise political parties that had previously been outlawed.

“And let’s show that when they have the courage to reform…

…we have the courage to respond.”

…. respond, that is, with a drop-in call tomorrow.

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