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)