major political party Golongan Karya in Bali from 1982-1998. This position permitted Bandem to become a member of the Indonesian House Assembly (MPR-RI) as state representative for the Province of Bali (1988-1998). During his time as member of the Indonesian House Assembly (MPR-RI), Bandem was elected as the Secretary and Speaker for the Ad Hoc II Committee that is responsible for strategies and decisions of the national politics. Through this committee, Bandem demonstrated his keenness for Indonesian character building from the viewpoint of arts and culture. Furthermore, although unsuccessful, Bandem was supported by the Balinese public as candidate for the 1998-2003 Governor of Bali during the 1998 election. Taken as a whole, Bandem's stance towards the significance of arts and culture as a vibrant counterpart to the pulsating dynamics of socio-culture, political, and technology represents a notion that arts and culture are imperative elements for peace, concord, and the betterment of the world. His belief for cordial cross-border interconnectedness by the means of arts and culture has bestowed him the Habibie Award in 2003 from the Habibie Center. His pro-active approach has emphasized the importance of arts and culture as a reflective conscious to attain harmony among nations especially between respective cultures and the global forces. References Balinese people Indonesian male dancers Indonesian Hindus Living people Wesleyan University alumni UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture alumni Year of birth missing (living people)