House Leadership and BKSAP leaders pose during a photo session. Photo: Dok BKSAP/Man

The Indonesian House delegation will virtually participate in the 41th General Assembly of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, on 8-10 September 2020. For the first time, the General Assembly will be held virtually, with Viet Nam acting as the AIPA current president and the host of the event.

The Indonesian delegation comprises 15 members of parliament and will be led by House Speaker Dr. (H.C.) Puan Maharani, accompanied by Vice Speaker for Politics and Security M. Azis Syamsuddin, and leaders of the House Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP), Fadli Zon, Charles Honoris, Mardani Ali Sera, and Putu Supadma Rudana.

Ten parliaments from the ASEAN countries—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam—and some experts will take part in the event. A number of issues will be discussed, including politics, economy, social affairs, women, youth parliament, and organization.

The General Assembly will also adopt some resolutions and a Joint Communiqué. In general, at the meeting titled ‘Parliamentary Diplomacy for a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Community’, the Indonesian House Delegation will put forward several views, during which it will encourage AIPA to urge ASEAN Member Countries Government to formulate appropriate and effective policies, as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the economic sector.

In this connection, ASEAN Member Parliaments will be expected to optimize their constitutional authorities (legislation, budget, and oversight) to reduce the economic impact of COVID-19. Furthermore, they should emphasize the importance of peace, security, and stability in the ASEAN region. Conflicts that occur in the ASEAN region should be resolved through dialogue, without resorting to military action.

Meanwhile, with regard to the South China Sea dispute, ASEAN Member Countries are expected to promote their mutual trust and solidarity in resolving the South China Sea issue within the framework of mutual agreement and international law. ASEAN will also be counted on to resolve their regional issues independently, especially those related to human security, such as the Rohingya refugee crisis.

ASEAN will be expected to solve the issue of approximately one million Rohingya refugees, notably their repatriation agreement. The Indonesian House also called upon ASEAN to stay focus on achieving SDGs amid the heavy impact of COVID-19. ASEAN is expected to capitalize on its own capacity during the pandemic by strengthening cooperation among its members, particularly in curbing the impacts of COVID-19.

Furthermore, ASEAN will also benefit from promoting regional cooperation in the economic sector--being one of the worst-hit sectors by COVID-19--by utilizing the travel bubble platform to promote mutual tourist destinations. The Southeast Asian organization is also reminded that women in time of crisis become a vulnerable group that require more attention.

The House also expressed its support for the establishment of AIPA youth parliamentarians as a platform to build the capacity of parliamentarians. ASEAN‘s young parliamentarians are expected to contribute largely in overcoming various crises in the region including the impacts of COVID-19. (ann/sf)