At the first plenary session of the 41st AIPA General Assembly (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Heads of member legislatures of the ASEANInter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) voiced their support for strongerparliamentary diplomacy and cooperation, especially in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic, at the first plenary session of the 41st AIPAGeneral Assembly on September 8.
Thevirtual event, hosted by Vietnam, was attended by leaders of the 10 AIPA memberparliaments, parliamentary leaders of country observers of AIPA, the AIPASecretary-General and Secretariat, the Secretary-General of theInter-Parliamentary Union, the ASEAN Secretary-General, along withrepresentatives of the UN Secretary-General and guest parliaments of the hostcountry.
Addressingthe first plenary session, Speaker of theLegislative Council of Brunei Pehin Abdul Rahman Taib said the theme of AIPA 41this year, “Parliamentary Diplomacy for Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community”,is relevant in the current context as the region faces unprecedented challengesin adapting to the new norm.
“The theme further emphasises the role of nationalparliaments of ASEAN as the voice of the people and the need to stand insolidarity and to respond swiftly to pressing issues, in accordance with theinternational laws,” he noted.
Speaker of the House of Representatives ofIndonesia Puan Maharani held that the theme of this year’s General Assembly marks the increasinglyimportant role of the parliament, especially in this time of COVID-19 pandemic,which is impacting so many lives and limiting economic activities, causing theregion to be in the verge of recession.
She said in this situation, “as parliament we need toencourage ASEAN Member States government to deliver adequate policy to curb thespread of COVID-19, reduce greater economic impact and ensuring social welfare.”
Meanwhile, Chairwoman of the LaoNational Assembly Pany Yathotou expressed high valuation of and support for thetheme of AIPA 41, which contributes further to implementing the commitment ofthe 36th ASEAN Summit and reaffirming the importance of close cooperation andpartnership among ASEAN member states, and between ASEAN and its dialoguepartners with a view to responding to the emerging challenges in the region.
Yathotou showed her confidence that fellow AIPA members willcontinue to fulfill their role through parliamentary diplomacy with a view toencouraging the governments of ASEAN member states to implement measures andtranslate commitment of the ASEAN leaders as well as the heads of AIPA towardstangible results.
President of the Thai National Assembly ChuanLeekpai noted at the regional level, it is preferable for AIPA toexchange knowledge and experiences among member parliaments, includingknowledge on a new and unexpected way of life under the current andpost-COVID-19 situation. Member parliaments in different countries can directlycommunicate with one another and help parliaments to function more smoothly andeffectively.
Headded the ASEAN Community building can be essentially strengthened through theharmonisation of laws of the member states. For ASEAN to truly attain aregional community, it is urged to create common legal standards across theregion. Each parliament can still maintain its responsibility for the enactmentof laws to regulate affairs within its own jurisdiction. Harmonisation isnevertheless essential to ensure that the same or similar rules and regulationsare moving in the same direction, most notably trade, investment, and movementof professionals, making the region, not only friendly, but also legallyfriendly.
Regardingthe COVID-19 fight, President of Cambodia’sNational Assembly Heng Samrin called for deeper regional integration while theregion is struggling to recover from this crisis.
Speaker of the IndonesianHouse of Representatives Puan Maharani underscored the need to optimise the role as parliaments by performinglegislative duty related to the effort of combating COVID-19 and itssocio-economic impact, such as laws related to fiscal stimulus or strengtheningsocial safety net. Parliament should also improve oversight to ensure thatthose laws would be implemented, and their benefits would be felt by thepeople.
To advance as a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, it is necessaryto enhance the capacity to respond effectively to emerging regional challenges,including in the context of human security.
She voiced her belief that regional countries as one ASEAN Communitywill overcome this difficult time and working together in addressing otherregional challenges.
Speaker of the House ofRepresentatives of the Malaysian Parliament Datuk Azhar Azizan Harunhighlighted that facing COVID-19, it is needed to enhance solidarity andcooperation.
“On behalf of the Parliamentof Malaysia, we are ready to provide our undivided support of the remarkableefforts by our fellow AIPA members towards the realisation and collaboration ofa greater ASEAN. I look forward to strengthening the relationships of ourinstitutions,” he added./.
VNA
