Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and Head of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) Puan Maharani Nakshatra Kusyala Devi today discussed efforts to strengthen relations and cooperation between ASEAN Parliaments.
In a 45-minute bilateral meeting at Parliament Building here, the two leaders also discussed the relocation of Indonesia's national capital, food security, climate change and renewable energy.
Johari said Malaysia strongly supports Indonesia's decision to move its capital from Jakarta to Nusantara as it is able to strengthen the relationship and economy of the two countries.
"The move will enhance the relationship between Malaysia and Indonesia in various fields including commerce, tourism, education and food security. For me this will lead us to a new era when this city is developed with renewable energy.
"Apart from that, the exchange of the academia, researchers and thinkers from universities in Indonesia and Malaysia can strengthen the field of education in an effort to help solve the food security problem which is plaguing the world," he said here.
Meanwhile, Johari said ahead of the 'Asian Century', the Malaysian Parliament is determined to step up initiatives in dealing with the issues directly as it requires cooperation and swift action by ASEAN parliaments.
"This ongoing effort can be carried out through the exchange of good practices related to the drafting of laws and research on the budget as well as the government's actions on various issues of interest," he said.
The meeting was also attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to Malaysia Datuk Hermono, DPR RI secretary-general Dr Indra Iskandar, Paya Besar MP Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah and Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid.
Puan Maharani, the first woman to be elected as DPR RI Speaker in 2019, is the daughter of the former first female president of Indonesia, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and the granddaughter of the founder of Indonesia, Sukarno.
In August, Johari led a Malaysian delegation to the 44th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary General Assembly (AIPA General Assembly) in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The meeting which brought together delegations from nine parliaments in Southeast Asia discussed the roles of parliament to be more flexible and responsive in facing various crises in the ASEAN region.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
