Vietnamese NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan delivers a remark at the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with AIPA Representatives within the framework of the 36th ASEAN Summit on June 26. (Photo: VNA)Singapore (VNA) – The ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) should bemore proactive in brain-storming among lawmakers in the region on how to collectivelycope with COVID-19, said a Singaporean scholar.
ASEAN needsnew law concerning travel bubbles and quarantine exemption for frequenttravellers, Dr. Termsak Chalermpalanupap, who is a visiting fellow with ISEAS –Yusof Ishak Institute, told Vietnam News Agency ahead the 41st AIPA GeneralAssembly which will be held virtually by Vietnam from September 8 – 10.
“Anotherpressing issue confronting many ASEAN societies, certainly in Vietnam andThailand, is the arrogance of Facebook and Western-owned social media platformsin skirting domestic laws and promoting dissent under the pretext of freedom ofspeech,” he said.
Chalermpalanupapurged ASEAN member states' legislators under AIPA should come together tofigure out how to formulate new common laws to protect regional social harmonyand to tax these operators of highly lucrative social media platforms.
He said he isconfident that Vietnamese lawmakers are fully aware of the need for alllegislatures in ten ASEAN members to coordinate their domestic laws and toharmonize them with regional commitments in ASEAN.
“Legislatorsneed to keep track of all ASEAN agreements signed by leaders and ministers,” hecontinued, “they are not self-executing; they mostly need ratification so thatthey are legally binding in the domestic national context.”/.
VNA
