ISLAMABAD: Indonesian President Joko Widodo told a joint session of the parliament in Islamabad on Friday that c
onflicts and wars benefit no one while d
emocracy was the best way to serve interests of the people.
The Indonesian president is currently on a two-day visit to Pakistan. He is the second Indonesian president who has addressed the parliament of Pakistan, with Dr Ahmed Sukarno the first president of Indonesia who addressed the National Assembly of Pakistan on June 26, 1963.
The session was chaired by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and attended by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani and three services chiefs, besides the parliamentarians.
In his address, Widodo said the economy of a country or region grows only if there is political stability and security.
“;C
onflicts and wars will benefit no one … I repeat … c
onflicts and wars will benefit no one,” he stressed, adding,
“;People, mainly women and children, always become the most impacted ones in c
onflicts and wars.”
He said that Indonesia and Pakistan were two countries with the biggest Muslim population and both were d
emocratic states.
“;We are equally grateful to be a
ble to live in d
emocratic manners,” he said.
“;Most people think that managing d
emocracy is not an easy thing but I say we need commitment to tolerate and commitment to respect each other to let the d
emocracy function well,” he added.
“;As president, I strongly believe that d
emocracy is the best way of serving interests of our people. D
emocracy provides space for people in decision making process,” he said, adding d
emocracy maintained political stability in Indonesia which helped economic growth reach above 5% per year in the country.
The president said Muslims were the largest victims of c
onflicts, wars and terrorism as 76 percent of terrorism attacks took place in Muslim countries, 60 percent of armed c
onflicts happened in Muslim countries and 67 percent of refugees belonged to the Muslim countries. He said that this alarming condition was partially caused by internal weakness, even though a lot of external factors also existed.
“;Are we going to let these apprehending conditions keep on happening over and over again?” he questioned.
“;If you ask me, I will say no. We must not allow c
onflicts to continue existing in our countries. We must not allow c
onflicts to continue existing in the world,” he declared.
Calling for an end to c
onflicts in the countries as well as the world, the Indonesian president said
“;respect for humanity should be our guide in our lives as nations.” He said history had taught that weap
ons and military power would neither be a
ble to resolve c
onflicts nor create and maintain world’s peace.
Emphasizing the importance of dialogue, Widodo said c
onflict in Indonesian area of Aceh continued for more than 30 years which was resolved through negotiations.
“;It is the habit of dialogue that makes ASEAN, the association of 10 countries in South East Asia, a
ble to be the engine of stability and prosperity in South East Asia,” he said.
“;We must be a part of solution and not part of the problem. Let us work together for the creation of peaceful and prosperous world in the name of all mankind living in this world,” he concluded.
He said the friendship between Indonesia and Pakistan was not a newly forged bond as his country would always remember the support of the people of Pakistan towards Indonesia’s struggles for independence. He said that as a token of appreciation on August 17, 1995, coinciding with the 50th Anniversary of the Indonesian Independence, Indonesia had conferred First Class Adipurna Star to Pakistan’s Father of the Nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah for his contributions in supporting Indonesia’s independence.
Published in Daily Times, January 27th 2018.
