Extravagant

Extravagant political elite

From Rakyat Merdeka

Is President Megawati's visit to five countries useful?, legislator Toni Erivanto wrote in Rakyat Merdeka. Perhaps another article will appear under the title Are comparative studies by some legislators in Europe useful?.

It's really embarrassing if the plan of some members of the House of Representatives (DPR) to make a comparative study to Europe is executed at all. Then they truly lack a sense of crisis. How could they spend the money so extravagantly at the cost of the people's suffering?

Even though she is a head of state, Megawati's foreign tour has been criticized by many circles including the DPR members. But, strangely, no one makes any comment on some DPR members' plans to conduct a comparative study abroad.

Frankly, what is the benefit of conducting a comparative study abroad? With the current technology advancement, all data can be obtained from the available communication networks. There have been so many comparative studies conducted but none of the results have seen to be implemented.

People are already fed up to see the performance and the attitude of their representatives, who are yet to think about the public interests. Now the political elite, particularly those in the House of Representatives, should realize and change their attitude. They should demonstrate that they truly represent their people. They should work to fight for the people's interests and not for personal benefits, accumulating wealth while opportunities prevail.

H. SOEJOEDONO R.

Jakarta