National Assembly (NA) president Heng Samrin during the 42nd General Assembly of AIPA hosted by Brunei Darussalam via video conference. NA
National Assembly (NA) president Heng Samrin on August 23 addressed the Annual Meeting of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), urging the regional legislature to build digital capacity and raise awareness of cyber security to strengthen regional security management.
During the 42nd General Assembly of AIPA hosted by Brunei Darussalam via video conference, Samrin said digital technology will play an important role in reviving economic growth in the post-Covid-19 period, with potential for promoting new industries and sectors with more sustainable and resilient economic growth to better counter future crises.
He noted that the developing world has already experienced some negative consequences of digitalization due to factors like the gap in digital development, low digital literacy and lack of cyber-security, the last being a major global challenge for everyone but especially for developing countries with limited resources and capabilities.
“We have an obligation to invest and allocate resources towards improving our people’s digital literacy. In this regard, I would like to urge AIPA to build digital infrastructure with a high degree of transparency and security through cyber-security information sharing operations, and to enact legislation that promotes public-private partnerships,” he said.
Samrin said that promoting digital capacity building and raising awareness of cyber-security, as well as strengthening cyber-security management, was necessary to cope with the world’s rising levels of instability.
He noted that the threats to world peace that are now looming have been taking form over the past several decades.
“The world, as well as the region, needs peace, which is an important foundation for development. At the same time, peace and development must go hand in hand, which is necessary to maintain peace and strive to promote development for continuous progress in order for the people to live in prosperity and progress,” he said.
According to the NA’s press release on August 23, the 42nd AIPA’s theme was “Forging Parliamentary Cooperation with Digital Inclusion towards an ASEAN Community 2025”.
The AIPA is an inter-parliamentary body representing the legislatures of the ASEAN member nations of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
The press release said that this parliamentary organization is a gathering of the voices of the people across the ASEAN community and is one of ASEAN’s main partners in pushing for the achievement of the goal of a unified ASEAN community.
The NA will host the 43rd AIPA gathering next year.
