ID :
182913
Wed, 05/18/2011 - 13:59
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https://oananews.org//node/182913
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India's first female house speaker vows to fight against terrorism
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Legislative bodies of major economies should collaborate to effectively fight against terrorism with growing security alerts, the speaker of India's lower house said Wednesday.
Meira Kumar, India's first female parliamentary speaker, visited Seoul to participate in the G-20 Speakers' Consultation, which kicked off in the South Korean capital Wednesday for a three-day run.
South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae will host the conference that brings together parliamentary leaders and representatives from 26 nations and groups, including five non-G-20 members and Inter-Parliamentary Union members.
"l'm sure it will be a very good consultation. We're mainly going to discuss global peace, how to handle terrorism and how parliaments of the respective nations should evolve strategies to completely erase terrorism in the world," Kumar said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
As the daughter of a former deputy prime minister and a Dalit, a member of India's lowest caste, Kumar has worked for human rights and the abolishment of the caste system for over two decades.
Questions about the caste system or rights issues, however, were not allowed in Wednesday's interview.
Regarding the growing role of women in Indian politics, Kumar named some influential women politicians, including former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as well as incumbent party leaders, saying, "Indian women are ready."
"We have a whole generation of women who have become very confident. They are able to make independent decisions and move up to higher legislative bodies," said the soft-spoken speaker, in a red sari, India's traditional clothing.
Kumar said India and South Korea, two major Asian economies, should work together to expand exchanges in economic as well as cultural areas to promote bilateral ties.
In 2009, South Korea signed a comprehensive bilateral trade pact with India, the first of its kind with one of the BRIC countries, which also include three other emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia and China.
"I'm sure the free trade agreement and other measures will take place in the future, and they will help develop economies in both nations," Kumar said.
The countries' fledging cultural ties come as the two Asian powers are trying to further boost their economic cooperation. Their trade volume jumped 41 percent in 2010 from a year earlier to US$17.1 billion, according to Seoul's trade ministry.
The speaker stressed the active role of parliament to help competitive Korean companies' bids to make inroads into the Indian market and expand investments between the nations.
"We have several committees in the parliament of the lower house. To clear obstacles in the investment, we have discussions and take accountabilities from executives," Kumar said.
SEOUL (Yonhap) - Legislative bodies of major economies should collaborate to effectively fight against terrorism with growing security alerts, the speaker of India's lower house said Wednesday.
Meira Kumar, India's first female parliamentary speaker, visited Seoul to participate in the G-20 Speakers' Consultation, which kicked off in the South Korean capital Wednesday for a three-day run.
South Korea's National Assembly Speaker Park Hee-tae will host the conference that brings together parliamentary leaders and representatives from 26 nations and groups, including five non-G-20 members and Inter-Parliamentary Union members.
"l'm sure it will be a very good consultation. We're mainly going to discuss global peace, how to handle terrorism and how parliaments of the respective nations should evolve strategies to completely erase terrorism in the world," Kumar said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.
As the daughter of a former deputy prime minister and a Dalit, a member of India's lowest caste, Kumar has worked for human rights and the abolishment of the caste system for over two decades.
Questions about the caste system or rights issues, however, were not allowed in Wednesday's interview.
Regarding the growing role of women in Indian politics, Kumar named some influential women politicians, including former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as well as incumbent party leaders, saying, "Indian women are ready."
"We have a whole generation of women who have become very confident. They are able to make independent decisions and move up to higher legislative bodies," said the soft-spoken speaker, in a red sari, India's traditional clothing.
Kumar said India and South Korea, two major Asian economies, should work together to expand exchanges in economic as well as cultural areas to promote bilateral ties.
In 2009, South Korea signed a comprehensive bilateral trade pact with India, the first of its kind with one of the BRIC countries, which also include three other emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia and China.
"I'm sure the free trade agreement and other measures will take place in the future, and they will help develop economies in both nations," Kumar said.
The countries' fledging cultural ties come as the two Asian powers are trying to further boost their economic cooperation. Their trade volume jumped 41 percent in 2010 from a year earlier to US$17.1 billion, according to Seoul's trade ministry.
The speaker stressed the active role of parliament to help competitive Korean companies' bids to make inroads into the Indian market and expand investments between the nations.
"We have several committees in the parliament of the lower house. To clear obstacles in the investment, we have discussions and take accountabilities from executives," Kumar said.
