'Ask Megawati not to make the poor cry all the time'
Starting on Thursday, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is holding its 10-day Annual Session, at which it will discuss the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, listen to progress reports from the President and high state institutions and seek ways to improve the economic recovery. Yet people on the street are skeptical.
Sri Puji Lestari, 32, a housewife and vendor who lives in Paseban Barat, Central Jakarta, with her husband and two children:
I'm just an ordinary person who won't demand too much of the government. The only thing I hope for is that the Annual Session will run smoothly, without disruption.
If things are safe, lower-income people can feel secure about earning a living as usual.
I'm sure Assembly members and government officials will sit and pretend to pay attention to the session. They get a lot of money just for sitting down. It wouldn't work for us, because sitting down means no money for daily needs.
Whatever the result of the session, lower-income people have a simple wish: affordable prices for basic needs such as fuel and rice. That's all we want -- very simple, isn't it?
However, I'm sick to death of high-ranking officials. It's useless to voice our aspirations as we don't get any response at all. Just send my warm regards to (President) Megawati and ask her not to make the poor cry all the time.
Rahmat, 40, has been selling newspapers at Sarinah Department Store and the National Monument in Central Jakarta, for four years. The father of three children, he comes from Semarang, Central Java, and lives at Cengkareng, West Jakarta.
What the hell is the point of holding the Annual Session here! I wonder what they will be talking about for 10 days?
No matter how long they discuss the country's problems, they always fall short of action to cope with them.
The Assembly will only waste public money and boost high- ranking officials' income. Worse still, we don't get anything in return for the money that we pay to the state.
I'm afraid that after the session, taxes and prices will go up, thus increasing the burden on us.
If the people were to unite, it would be easy for any leader to rule the country. As long as officials think purely of their own interests, even the best Assembly members could never deal effectively with all the hurdles.
Mulyono, 27, a Jakarta-born vendor who lives on Jl. Percetakan Negara, Central Jakarta. He is single and runs a small kiosk in Salemba:
The upcoming Annual Session is not being held at the right time. The country continues to face intractable problems, and most remain unresolved. It is unlikely that the session will be able to solve them.
It would be somewhat unrealistic, too, to expect Megawati to present a good report after only one year in office.
Megawati's performance should not be hastily assessed. Being president in a pluralistic society like Indonesia's is no cakewalk. Therefore, I can appreciate the difficulty she faces as leader.
Hopefully, the session will present her with an opportunity to improve the country. However, should students stage rallies to protest the session, I'm sure it will worsen the atmosphere.
I guess the session should be postponed until next year, when it would be more reasonable for the MPR to assess the government's performance.
Tulus, 30, is an office boy at a state bank, who has been in the same position for more than five years. He lives in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta:
I agree that the Annual Session be held tomorrow. Hopefully it will provide a way out of the country's complex problems, even though I feel a bit pessimistic about its effectiveness.
I cannot hope for much more than stability so that poor people like me can continue to live in peace in the country.
The session is unlikely to contribute much to the economic recovery, I guess.