[bestbits] IGF in Indonesia cancelled?

[genekimmelman at gmail.com]

A number of governments very much want the event to proceed so I believe ee haven't heard the end if this. ....

-------- Original message --------
From: Anja Kovacs <anja at internetdemocracy.in> 
Date:  
To: "&lt,bestbits at lists.bestbits.net&gt," <bestbits at lists.bestbits.net> 
Subject: [bestbits] IGF in Indonesia cancelled? 
 
Dear all,

After having heard rumours swirling for a while now, I was very sad to receive the message below via an AP IGF email list. Looks like the Indonesia IGF, at least for now, stands cancelled. Anyone here knows more? 

Best,
Anja

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ang Peng Hwa (Prof) <TPHANG at ntu.edu.sg>
Date: 26 July 2013 08:50
Subject: [Rigf_program] IGF in Indonesia cancelled
To: "program at aprigf.asia" <program at aprigf.asia>


Folks,

This is sad but official: the Indonesian organizers have cancelled the IGF. The announcement was made by the chair of the organizing committee (a businessman) after a meeting with the minister and the civil society group.

There is a news report in Bahasa Indonesia at http://inet.detik.com/read/2013/07/25/135130/2314218/328/kurang-dana-forum-internet-dunia-batal-digelar-di-bali.  Use Google translate and you will be able to read.

I had met the civil society organizers just this week. They were asking for possible tips on fund raising. After exploring the options, we concluded that they had approached most of the likely sponsors. Yes, there were some possibilities they had overlooked but these were not many.

According to the news report, out of the US$2.2M (Rp22 billion) budget, they had raised US$900k. The Ministry had given US$250k. So they had a shortfall of US$1.05M.

Third party sources I checked (i.e. Not the Indonesians themselves) said that one major cost was that the UN had asked for US$900k to fly personnel and security apparatus to the meeting. 

Knowing a little of the inside story, I would say the situation is more complex than one might have guessed. Next year is the election year for Indonesia. So companies are asking: if I support you now but you do not win, what happens? Then two weeks before the IGF, there is the APEC meeting in the same venue. So the feeling that is Indonesia will be on the world's stage at that time already. Meanwhile, the Minister of Communication, whose ministry oversees the IGF, is under allegations of corruption. It's one of those series of unfortunate events.

Regards,
Peng Hwa

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-- 
Dr. Anja Kovacs
The Internet Democracy Project

+91 9899028053 | @anjakovacs
www.internetdemocracy.in
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