House speaker claims support for IPU post

Lilian Budianto , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Mon, 10/13/2008 11:36 AM | World

House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono said last week he had won the support of 70 countries for his candidature as Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) president.

The election will be held this week during the IPU session, which will be held from Oct. 13 to Oct. 15 in Geneva.

"Some 70 countries among IPU's 148 members have already confirmed their support," Agung told The Jakarta Post recently.

The countries that promised support include all 25 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, all 48 countries grouped under the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries, and several Latin American and European countries.

Agung will contest to become the 26th president of IPU, replacing Pier Ferdinando Casini of Italy. His only rival will be Theo-Ben Gurirab of Namibia.

If elected, Agung will assume the post for a three-year term that will end in 2011.

Agung said, if elected he would aim to get IPU more involved in addressing poverty and unemployment issues amid the looming global crisis triggered by economic fallout. He also said IPU should engage more in promoting peace resolution for conflict-ravaged countries.

"Such issues have become the concern of the government and the Foreign Ministry, with little involvement from parliaments elsewhere. We want to promote double-track diplomacy between the government and the parliament to work together to tackle those issues."

Lawmaker Abdillah Toha, who is also the vice president of IPU's executive committee representing the Asia-Pacific region, said IPU had concentrated more on human rights and democracy issues and it was high time it paid more attention to the growing problems of poverty and climate change.

A National Mandate Party (PAN) legislator said the campaign for Agung's candidacy had been running since six months ago. Agung and a number of other MPs (including Toha) visited a number of countries (most recently Argentina) to win their support for the candidacy.

According to IPU board regulations, the IPU president must be a member of parliament. If Agung is elected as IPU president but loses in the parliamentary race at home, he must step down as IPU president and there will be a new election to choose a replacement.

The last IPU president from Asia was Najma Heptullah from India, who held the post from 1999-2002.