Legislators should defend people's interests: Wahono<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives Speaker Wahono urged
\nlegislators yesterday to defend people's interests so that people
\nwill not take to the street to vent their frustration.<\/p>\n
He said House members should accommodate people's demands and
\nlisten to their grievance so that there will be no more
\n\"democracy forums in the streets\".<\/p>\n
\"We have to be able to accommodate the wishes people channel
\nthrough constitutional means,\" he said when inducting 26 House
\nand People's Consultative Assembly members from the Armed Forces
\n(ABRI) faction.<\/p>\n
Wahono said there is an encouraging tendency for oppressed
\npeople to seek help from their representatives in the House for
\nthe hardship they face.<\/p>\n
They turn to the House with problems about labor disputes,
\nland appropriation by development projects, eviction and social
\ninjustice.<\/p>\n
\"As House members, we have to be more sensitive to public
\ndemand,\" Wahono said.<\/p>\n
Cynics have branded the House as a mere rubber stamp
\ninstitution which more readily accommodates the interests of the
\ngovernment than those of the people they represent.<\/p>\n
The House's popularity as an institution to address people's
\ncomplaints somewhat declined with the establishment of the
\nNational Commission on Human Rights in 1993.<\/p>\n
Wahono advised the new House and Assembly members to safeguard
\nthe image of the Armed Forces dwi fungsi, or dual function,
\ndoctrine, which allows ABRI to play politics as well as see to
\ndefense.<\/p>\n
\"The dual function doctrine is good only if ABRI is able to
\nsolve state problems now and in the future,\" said Wahono, who is
\na retired lieutenant general.<\/p>\n
According to Wahono, the ABRI faction in the House has played
\nan important role in the promotion of democracy.<\/p>\n
In the future, the Armed Forces' political role will be to
\nencourage the public's creativity and initiative in development
\nwithout repression.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 29 members of the Armed Forces take over the seats
\nof retiring Golkar members in the House next year.<\/p>\n
The 29 retired officers to strengthen Golkar's legislative
\nfront are former ABRI representatives of the House, where the
\nmilitary reserves 100 of the 500 seats.<\/p>\n
Golkar Secretary-General Ary Mardjono said that the retired
\nservicemen will assume their posts for the 1997\/2002 period. To
\njoin Golkar, an ABRI member should retire and associate with the
\nveteran organization, Pepabri.<\/p>\n
\"Pepabri will submit their names to Golkar before the list can
\nbe made public,\" he said after attending the inauguration
\nceremony. (pan)<\/p>",
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