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Your
Excellency, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia and
President of AIPA
Samdech, It is my pleasure and great honor to have occasion to attend the 28th General Assembly of AIPA in beautiful Kuala Lumpur. On behalf of the Delegation of the National Assembly of Lao PDR, and on my own behalf, I would like to express my thanks to His Excellency Tan Sri Dato’ Ramli bin Talib, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia and President of AIPA for his invitation extended to me and my Delegation to participate in this significant event. Allow me to express my congratulations to the Parliament of Malaysia, as well as to the Malaysian people for their well-made arrangements and the warm and impressive welcome given to the delegations present here. The 28th AIPA General Assembly is taking place amidst celebrations by the people of Malaysia to commemorate their 50th national day anniversary. As a representative of the people of Laos, I would like to express my sincere greetings and congratulations to the Malaysian people for their great achievements in their national development throughout 50 years of independence.
Mr.
President, This year, we also mark 30 years of parliamentary cooperation among our nations. During this period, we have seen the enlargement of the organization, both in terms of membership and its role in political life in the region. In harmony with the needs of the new era, the 27th General Assembly in Cebu, the Philippines, resolved to restructure AIPO to be stronger and more efficient. And as result, the name “AIPO” was changed to “AIPA”. The Extra-Ordinary Meeting of the Executive Committee held in mid-April in Kuala Lumpur adopted the newly amended Statute and Rules, and appointed the AIPA Secretary General according to the new rule for the administrative operation of the secretariat. This 28th General Assembly is the first meeting conducted under the new name “AIPA”. The reform of AIPA constitutes both opportunities and challenges for all members in order to enhance ownership in further performing and upgrading their political accountability. Mr. President, During the last year, in general, our political region has steadily stabilized; through the process of drafting an ASEAN Charter, ASEAN is advancing to a new era in the history of regional cooperation. The economies of countries in this region have continued to grow rapidly; mutual assistance in ASEAN has increased with tangible results. These successes have ensured that ASEAN has become the focus of much attention and interest from the international community. Besides these positive trends, our region is also confronted with a number of challenges. The high price of oil is felt acutely given that a reliable source of renewable energy has not yet been secured. Epidemic diseases, in particular Avian Influenza, continue to threaten. Currency fluctuations affect various countries in our region. Meanwhile global warming appears to be leading to more extreme and destructive weather patterns. These global issues have a real impact on our region and require a concerted effort to tackle them. If these problems are not solved in a proper and timely manner, they will inevitably effect regional economic growth and the living conditions of our people.
Mr.
President, In the process of ASEAN evolution focusing on the drafting of an ASEAN Charter to be submitted to the ASEAN Summit in November this year, AIPA has been actively involved. For instance, a meeting was held between AIPA representatives and ASEAN High Level Task Force on the Drafting of the ASEAN Charter in last May. A number of perspectives and viewpoints were shared regarding the content of the Charter and especially relating to the role of AIPA in ASEAN’s political sphere. AIPA is closely involved in ASEAN’s roadmap; the draft of the ASEAN Charter discussed during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in late July in Manila, codifies general principles that ASEAN will sustain a status of inter-governmental organization. Thus, the AIPA role should be determined in conformity with the ASEAN directives and general principles. As ASEAN identities with a diversity of society and disparities of development between the old and new members, ASEAN’s immediate priorities should focus on boosting economic growth; improving the living conditions of the people; and narrowing the development’s gap. These are crucial factors and potentials paving the way to ASEAN integration in the future. Meanwhile, AIPA should endeavour to enhance its ownership and contribution to ASEAN activities including the formulation of ASEAN future directions. And indeed, we have recently noted a more regular AIPA-ASEAN relationship. In this regard, may I express my appreciations to the President and the leading team of AIPA for their active efforts in the past years. Distinguished Delegates, The Lao PDR is continuing to make progress in terms of national development with the goal of transcending least developed status and addressing poverty of the people. In the past year, a number of achievements have been witnessed. Political stability within the Nation has been maintained; socio-economic development has grown in a sustainable manner and with greater momentum; market-based production has expanded; and foreign investors have expressed more interest in the investment in Laos. Meanwhile, the State has made a concerted effort to implement policies of economic reform and to strengthen the rule of law in order to facilitate production, trade and investment. The National Assembly has made a significant contribution to these successes, in particular through enhancing ownership and accountability in elaborating and amending laws; in encouraging the public to effectively and strictly respect the Constitution and laws; in attentively overseeing the executive and judicial bodies in relation to the enforcement of laws and the implementation of national plans. However, we are still faced with a number of internal and external constraints to be urgently solved in order to ensure the progress of the national development. Over the years, our National Assembly has been an active participant and contributor to AIPA activities. We have jointly deliberated on various matters, and we have disseminated information about AIPA among the Lao people to ensure better recognition and understanding. In the future, we will continue to actively contribute to the achievement of further parliamentary cooperation. Mr. President, With the commitment and diligence of AIPA leadership, I believe that our Assembly will be strengthened with more outstanding performance in the next years. Based on the spirit and directives of a new Charter, ASEAN will be consolidated and further developed, and the living conditions of the people - our constituents - will be improved. In conclusion, once again, I would like to express my deep thanks to the Parliament of Malaysia for hosting this event. May I extend my best wishes to the Government and people of Malaysia on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of their nation. I wish the 28th General Assembly of AIPA the utmost success, and I wish happiness to the distinguished delegates and guests gathered here.
Thank you
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Speech