Page 224 - BUKU STRENGTHENING THE INDONESIAN PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY FADLI ZON

AIPA and ASEAN: Partnering

for Inclusive Change

Let me begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the House of Representatives and
the People of the Philippines as the host of the 38 AIPA General Assembly for their warm
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hospitality. They have done their very best to ensure the success of our Meeting.

I would like to take this opportunity to address the critical aspect of partnership between the
legislative and executive bodies as an indispensable part of regional integration, as have been
raised by the host country through its theme “AIPA and ASEAN: Partnering for Inclusive
Change”. The message is clear, that ASEAN’s transformation into an integrated region should
be inclusive: leaves no one behind.

True, we have come a long way to get to where we are. The AEC has been implemented since 31
December 2015, and since then, at its 50 year anniversary, ASEAN continues to score positive
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growth while other regions stood in stagnation. Hence, along with our strong determination
to put the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 into reality, we are facing numerous
internal and external challenges. The global environment is changing rapidly. As more actors
involved in the process, partnership has becoming more significant.

As the two prominent institutions in Southeast Asia, AIPA and ASEAN need to respond to this
situation by continuously building and evolving their partnership approach. A constructive
approach which demonstrates our objectives, reflects our values, and explains who we are,
and who are we working with. We need to replace our traditional way of interaction and
communication with a range of more diverse strategies, including through increasing the
involvement of each party in policy formulation and decision making. It calls for partnership
reform.

Selected Speeches of the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia I 211