'Annual Session not worth Rp 20b'

The Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) that kicked off on Friday will be different from the previous sessions due to the lack of controversial issues. The Session, which carries a price tag of Rp 20 billion, is expected to improve the public accountability of state institutions. However, it has generated criticism of some residents, who told The Jakarta Post that the legislators were only wasting the state budget for unclear objectives.

Wijaya, 31, is businessman who lives in Kayu Putih, East Jakarta, with his wife and daughter:

People will get nothing from the Session. It is far more harmful, rather than beneficial, to all citizens. Most people know nothing about the content or agenda of the Session.

Why should the legislators stay in a pricey hotel for their accommodation? It wastes a lot of the budget, I'm sure. To save money, the legislators who live in Jakarta could actually stay at their homes, couldn't they?

The outcome of the Session won't be worth Rp 20 billion. I doubt it will benefit the country, anyway.

Untung, 50, is an employee at an electricity company in South Jakarta. He lives in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, with his wife and two children:

I don't know what the legislators are discussing now. I don't see that there are any important issues to be brought to the Session.

I'm sure people will not get anything from the Session. It would be better to allocate the budget for education, as it has such a small budget.

Anung (not his real name), 56, lives in Ciledug, Tangerang, with his wife and four children:

We can see that there aren't any focused objectives nor important issues to be discussed at the Annual Session.

It is said that one item on the agenda aims to amend or annul a decree. Is the annulment or amendment so expensive that all security personnel have to be deployed to secure the Session?