Dear politicians, please come back down to earth

Dear politicians, please come back down to earth

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The current People's Consultative Assembly Annual Session,
costing Rp 18 billion (US$1.6 million), is talking gibberish,
which people from Irian Jaya, Sulawesi, Java and Sumatra say has
nothing to do with their lives.

Jacobus Malu Dendu, 30, owner of a chicken farm, Jayapura,
Irian Jaya: I could hardly breathe when listening to President
Megawati Soekarnoputri's speech at the Session. On the economy,
her speech was just rhetoric to legitimize what she had done.

The foreign loans approved by Megawati's administration are
just a way to economic destruction. I have no idea why everything
is so expensive nowadays. My point is that the people do not need
rhetoric. We want action."

Jacobus Abdurachman Upara, former head of the Jayapura Legal
Aid Institute (LBH): What Megawati said in her speech was the
opposite to what is happening in the ground. Her address sounded
good, but electricity charges and fuel prices are still
increasing.

However, it's not fair to say that Megawati has failed. After
all, she has just been president for only 100 days. But the
initial days are crucial in deciding future policies.

Rajamin Sirait, chairman of local youth organization
Pemuda Mitra Kamtibmas, Medan, North Sumatra: The scuffling on
the first day of the Session was a real disgrace to the members
of the Assembly.

The chaos clearly showed that the Assembly members still put
the their groups' interests beyond the nation's. Meanwhile, 200
million people are expecting that they manage to save "the
leaking boat" from sinking.

I am pessimistic that this year's session will bring about an
improvement in the national economy. We should be aware that it
will take more time for the country to restore itself. The
Assembly members have contributed to the worsening situation.

Andi Rudiyanto Asapa, president of the Makassar Lawyers Club:
I am not interested in the Session. The only thing that grabbed
my attention was the chaotic opening. That was the first time
ever in Indonesian (legislative) history that honorable Assembly
members have been involved in scuffling.

The fighting could set a bad precedent for our democracy. The
man in the street will say that he could do even better than the
representatives in the Assembly.

Iis Risnaeni, a 27-year-old housewife in Bandung: I don't
believe that the legislative body can lead the country to a
better future. We have seen that the many House and Assembly
sessions have changed nothing, meaning that we have spent
billions of rupiah for nothing.

For ordinary people like me, economic recovery is a must. But
how can our economy get better if we are always engaged in
fighting and brawling with each other.

Joko Ardi Ambawang, a member of a municipal legislative
council from the Justice Party faction in Bandung: There is no
difference between the current Assembly/House and those during
the New Order regime. They live in an ivory tower, ignoring what
the people really want.

The Session will not produce decisions which accord with the
people's aspirations.

The scuffle among the Assembly members was an example of the
Assembly members just focusing on their own interests.

Suwarni, 38, an administrative staffer in Gadjah Mada
University's central office, Yogyakarta: the Session is a useless
project that wastes time and money.

I see nothing of benefit to the ordinary people, like myself,
discussed there. The most interesting thing I saw was the heated
quarrel between Assembly members.

The MPR Annual Session should be abolished because it will
only provides an opportunity for greedy politicians to
perpetually engage in political maneuvering that will worsen the
political climate.

Kuncoro, 43, a mechanic at an auto repair workshop on Jl. A.M.
Sangaji, Yogyakarta: One thing I can't understand is why
politicians never empathize with the public's suffering. Up till
now, the economic crisis remains unsolved.

But, they (the politicians) can only think of their own
interests by insisting that the Assembly meet once a year. How
much money is being spent on this Annual Session? I would be in
favor if the MPR were only to meet once in every five years.

I don't know anything about what they are discussing at the
session. Actually, I simply don't care about that.