Government should not disregard House: Wahono
Government should not disregard House: Wahono
JAKARTA (JP): House Speaker Wahono has reminded the government
to pay more attention to the views expressed and voiced in the
House of Representatives.
Even though the Constitution doesn't hold the president and
cabinet ministers accountable to the House (DPR), it doesn't mean
that they can ignore the role of DPR as a supervisory body,
Wahono said when inaugurating nine new members of the DPR and the
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Friday.
"The government cannot disregard the DPR," he stated. "In
fact, the constitution mandates that the president must heed what
the DPR has to say," he said.
"In addition, the DPR will never cease its supervision of the
government's actions," he added. "This doesn't mean it's
nitpicking at the President."
The legislative body has long been accused of being a mere
rubber stamp for government policies and failing to exercise its
right to question the executive office.
Over the past few years, its image has been improving, with
some House members courageously raising sensitive issues like
corruption. After recently sacking two outspoken legislators,
however, its image is again in jeopardy.
The newly-inducted MPR members are Col. Bimo Prakosa from
Bengkulu, Maj. Gen. Adang Ruchiatna from Bali, HT Syahrul from
Aceh constituency and Bambang Wahyudi from West Java.
The newest DPR members, which automatically become MPR
members, are Maj. Gen. Todo Sihombing from the Armed Forces,
Warsito Rasman from Central Kalimantan, Col. Eliza Hehamahua from
East Nusa Tenggara, Siti Ainomi Rudy Lengkong from Riau, and
Zacharias John Apituley from Irian Jaya.
Wahono told the new DPR members that if they want to
strengthen the body, they should strive to improve their
performances and increase the public's political awareness.
"The quality of our democracy is determined by political
ethics...and the behavior of the political actors in the super-
and infrastructure bodies," he said.
"With these ethics, politicians will be able to place the
people's interests over their individual or grouping's greed," he
said. "These values should be reflected in individual conduct and
eventually in the body's (performance) as a sign of increasing
quality."
He acknowledged, however, that problems remain, including the
fact that there are certain groups or layers in society who may
not like morally upstanding politicians.
"There is the possibility that such House members may not have
the opportunity to represent the people," he said.
"It's common in the political development of a developing
country for a gap to emerge between the wishes of the people and
the organizations or groupings that formally represent them," he
clarified.
"The DPR is strong only when it can effectively supervise the
government..(and all members have) the political morality and
ethics as mandated by the Pancasila democratic system," he said.
He reminded that loyalty and dedication to the legislators'
political factions are indeed important, but not over the
people's interests.
He added that those House members with high political
sensitivity and wisdom are best suited to respond to the people's
aspirations.
Earlier this year, the House was rocked by a controversy over
the role of its members and to whom their first and foremost
responsibility should go -- the people or the political groups
that appointed them.
The debate was instigated by the decision of the ruling
grouping Golkar to withdraw an outspoken member, Bambang Warih
Koesoemo, from the House for repeatedly failing to tow the
group's official line. (swe)