The DPR's Firmness At The OKI Parliament Forum Is Considered To Strengthen The Position Of The Republic Of Indonesia To Defend Palestine's Independence

Illustration of the Palestinian flag (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian House of Representatives has just held a 19th Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) Conference or the State Parliamentary Union forum for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OKI). The firmness of the Indonesian House of Representatives in supporting Palestinian independence at the international event is considered to be able to strengthen Indonesia's position.

According to International Relations observer Anton Aliabbas, the steps taken by the House of Representatives at the PUIC forum are strategic in building global support for Palestinian independence and Israel's isolation of various human rights violations committed against civilians.

The PUIC Conference in which the House of Representatives acted as host resulted in a 'Jakarta Declaration' containing resolutions that must be adopted by the entire OIC state parliament or members of the PUIC. One of them relates to the issue of Palestinian independence which until now is still being attacked by Israel.

Anton Aliabbas is of the view that the involvement of the DPR RI in international forums such as PUIC not only describes the commitment of Palestinian independence as mandated by the constitution, but also shows that the Indonesian parliament has an important position in global diplomacy.

"The existence of the Jakarta Declaration as an extension of the PUIC is at least increasingly showing Indonesia's desire to maintain relevance on the global political stage which is uncertain," said Anton Aliabbas, Sunday, May 19.

It is known, in the Jakarta Declaration, the PUIC forum emphasized support for Palestinian independence. PUIC also demanded the cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza and its surroundings, and rejected all calls to displace or relocate Palestinians, as also conveyed by the Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, in the opening of the 19th PUIC Conference.

In addition, the Jakarta Declaration also contains encouragement for PUIC members and the global community as well as the international community to impose sanctions on Israel, including isolation.

Anton also appreciated the call of the Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, who invited PUIC member countries to reject the idea of relocating Palestinians from the Gaza region. Anton assessed that the rejection of relocation was a form of Indonesia's firm stance on human rights violations committed by Israel, as well as strengthening Indonesia's position as a consistent country in defending Palestine.

"Regarding Palestine, the invitation from the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, to reject the idea of relocating Palestinians from the Gaza region which was accommodated in the resolution of the meeting, of course, is a progress in parliamentary diplomacy," he said.

Furthermore, Anton assessed that the commitment to the movement to isolate Israel in the Jakarta Declaration was a strategic step, but must be accompanied by consistent follow-up. The DPR is seen as having a big responsibility to continue to carry this issue in various international forums in the future.

"The DPR certainly has an obligation to continuously encourage Israel's isolation agenda in future parliamentary diplomacy. Not to mention, a number of OIC member countries sometimes do not speak up against Israeli brutality. Therefore, the seriousness and persistence of the DPR in contributing to building a global movement to isolate Israel will be awaited," explained Anton.

Apart from the Palestinian issue, the Jakarta Declaration also reaffirms the central role of good governance, accountability, transparency, and rule of law as the main foundation in building strong and resilient institutions, protecting people's interests, rights, and welfare through legislation that promote these values and principles.

According to Anton, the declaration shows attention to the importance of solidarity between member countries in facing global challenges, especially against all forms of discrimination. In the midst of a global situation full of uncertainty, the Jakarta Declaration is considered to be an important beginning for the foreign policy direction of OIC member countries.

"The public certainly hopes that this Jakarta Declaration will not only stop on paper, but will have an impact on agenda changes and approaches to parliamentary diplomacy. Moreover, in the Jakarta Declaration, there is also a global movement to isolate Israel," said Anton.

Previously, the Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, emphasized that Indonesia's position in support of Palestinian independence at the close of the 19th PUIC Conference, on Thursday, May 15.

"Let me reiterate: what happened in Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, is not just a humanitarian disaster, but a moral crisis," said Puan when closing the 19th PUIC Conference, Thursday, May 15.

"Indonesia reaffirms its full and immovable support for independence and peace in Palestine," he added.

The 19th PUIC session was held for 4 days on May 12-15 at the DPR Building, Senayan, Jakarta. This forum was attended by parliamentary delegations of 37 countries out of a total of 54 OIC members along with a number of countries and observer organizations.

In a series of PUIC activities, as many as 6 Permanent Committees (Standing Committees) discussed various strategic issues, including; Youth and Women, Palestine, Sustainable Development, Muslim Minority, Political Affairs, and Cultural Affairs.

Although the 19th PUIC Conference has ended, the Indonesian House of Representatives will still hold the chairmanship of the OKI Parliament forum for the next year. The chairmanship of the DPR also inaugurated Puan as the 19th President of PUIC.