Member of BKSAP of the House Muhammad Farhan attended virtually the first meeting of Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) under the theme "Covid-19 Outbreak' on Thursday (9/7/2020). Photo : Oji/Man

Member of the Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP) of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhammad Farhan, attended virtually the first meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA) under the theme “COVID-19 Outbreak” on Thursday (9/7/2020). The meeting was initiated by the Turkish Parliament which is currently holding the position of the APA Presidency.

Farhan, representing Indonesian House in the virtual meeting, underlined the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a global health crisis, but also humanitarian and development crises. Therefore, he urged to create resilient systems to handle COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the unprecedented crisis where many human lives have been lost, also the great magnitude and collapse in world’s economic activity, I would say that COVID-19 is not just a health crisis, but it is indeed a humanitarian and development crises. This pandemic is a stark reminder of the need for collective investments in resilient systems that reach beyond health care. Our responses will determine how fast the world recovers, and how well we handle this challenge,” stated Farhan in his remarks representing the Indonesian House delegation in the regional parliamentary forum for Asian countries.

The politician from National Democrat (Nasdem) Party warns of the COVID-19 pandemic worst impacts on the global commitment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on and its central premises to create a world that “leaves no one behind”. “Despite the research and development on COVID-19 vaccines which are still ongoing, we have to look forward, as the pandemic is severely undermining prospects for achieving global health by 2030, and surely having direct far-reaching effects on all the other SDGs,” said Farhan.

Farhan, who is also a Member of Commission I of the Indonesian House, further explained that with its crucial role at this difficult time, Parliament, which is a pillar of democracy, is currently demanded to work effectively in adopting laws, representing people’s interest, and overseeing the government.

Farhan called for the Asian Parliaments to work together in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “I called for the Asian Parliaments to support Global Solidarity to Fight the Coronavirus Disease 2019 adopted by the UN General Assembly. Parliamentary diplomacy must contribute to strengthening international cooperation through a global and collective action to fight the pandemic,” Farhan said.

This session adopted a Declaration on “The implications of COVID-19 pandemic in public health, economics, and other fields on the Asian continent” which contained the commitment of Asian Parliaments in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The session was also attended virtually by MPs from Asia region including Indonesia. The APA is a forum established in 2006 and consists of 44 parliaments from the Asian region.