Modest lives please<\/p>\n
Mr. Amien Rais has said that he and the deputy speakers, as
\nwell as all members of the People's Consultative Assembly\/House
\nof People's Representatives (MPR\/DPR), are fighters for the
\nreform movement. Their task will be formulating decrees and
\nlegislation and amending the 1945 Constitution, state's policy
\n(GBHN) and stipulations in order to guarantee the creation of a
\nreformist state. It will also be wise if all members, speakers
\nand deputy speakers of the MPR\/DPR become real patriots and
\npioneers in modest living. This will be an appropriate way to
\nprevent or at least reduce intentions to become involved in
\ncorruption, collusion and cronyism, which is usually manifested
\nin a luxurious, extravagant, smart, fashionable and consumptive
\nmanner of living.<\/p>\n
I am most convinced that most of our people will greatly
\nrespect the people's representatives and house speakers\/deputy
\nspeakers who are modestly dressed. Instead of wearing suits and
\nties, they should encourage the use of local clothing like batik
\nand Samarinda woven cloth. Instead of wearing black caps, they
\nmay put on headgear from other regions in the country to reflect
\nour uniqueness and our love for our diverse national dress. It
\nwould be nice to see people wearing various kinds of national
\ndress at official\/state events.<\/p>\n
Suits and ties are a Western style of dressing and are
\nactually not suitable for a tropical country like Indonesia. If
\nthis suggestion is be accepted, the advantages are, among others:
\nit will boost production of national dress materials; it will cut
\ndown on expenses (a suit costs about Rp 1,5000,000, while batik
\ndress is available for Rp 250,000) and it will promote our
\nnational dress to foreign tourists and expatriates.<\/p>\n
Besides, modest living should also be shown by replacing
\nVolvos with Kijangs or other automobiles, up to a maximum price
\nof Rp 200 million. House speakers and deputies speaker are to be
\nrespected not because of their Volvos, but because of their
\nreadiness to live a modest life. In this way they can prove that
\nthey really fight for the interests of the people they represent,
\nand do not pursue personal gains attached to their positions.<\/p>\n
It is also good to publicize the salaries and facilities
\navailable to members of DPR\/MPR so that the community will be
\nable to see whether the budget allocated to their representatives
\nis proper or not, and whether or not it is compatible with the
\ndifficult economic conditions in the country at present.<\/p>\n
So, MPR\/DPR members must prove their pioneering spirit by
\nadopting a modest pattern of life.<\/p>\n
H. WISDARMANTO<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/modest-lives-please-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }