Harsh words for MPR from average Joe

Harsh words for MPR from average Joe

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The nine-day Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly (MPR) ended on Friday with a limited number of successes
and failures. It turned out that, aside from the shameful display
of fisticuffs on the first day, average citizens were simply
apathetic about the event that cost Rp 18 billion (about US$1.5
million) to taxpayers.

Joko Pekik, artist: I don't see any use or the urgency of the
session. What did the legislators do? Making new decrees, or
amending the constitution? Frankly speaking, I don't care.

What makes me skeptical about the Assembly as a whole is its
failure to retract its decree No 25/1966 on Communism. I became
one of the decree's victims. (Pekik was imprisoned on suspicion
of being a communist activist.)

The history of Indonesia is not determined by the Assembly
decrees. The Dutch considered Diponegoro and Soekarno rebels, but
they were heroes to Indonesians.

I heard that it costs Rp 18 billion to hold the Annual
Session. Where did the money go? If it were 'eaten' by the
legislators, you can imagine, that Rp 18 billion would become a
huge hill of s#*t.

Dian, 25, civil-servant: Who cared? I did not bother. I no
longer trust those legislators. They only work for their own
interests or group. I don't like politics. I am getting bored.

Frankly, I do not follow the progress in the Annual Session.
Usually, I come home from work at 10.00 p.m. and go to sleep. The
Annual Session did not attract me.

The most important thing is that I will no longer vote for the
same political party that I did in the 1999 general elections. If
only I knew then how that party would perform, I would not have
voted for it.

Indra Gunawan, 22, student: It was shameful! I did not watch
the day-to-day progress of the Annual Session because the
legislators made a mockery of it by their actions.

They exhibited neither professionalism nor democratic examples
to the people. I am just not enthusiastic enough to comment on
it.

The Assembly promised to be more responsive to the will of the
citizenry, but it did not honor that commitment.

Muniri, retired state official: I do not have many to
comments. I think one thing that tarnished the Annual Session was
the scuffling on the first day.

Well, I was too busy to watch TV coverage of the Annual
Session. I had to attend to my kiosk. My customers did not talk
about the session either.

Ando Sibarr, 30, employee: Truly, I am tired of seeing the way
this country is managed. When I was at college, there were many
protests staged against the government. Similar protests are also
often staged now. I am tired. Nothing more to say.

The Annual Session was only a theater for white-collar thieves
and hoodlums. They have spent taxpayer money, but the result is
nothing. Our economy and politics are deteriorating and the
quality of life for average people is declining.

I am disappointed also because one of the political parties
involved in the fight was the one I chose.

Supardi, a resident of Karet Tengsin area, Central Jakarta: I
rarely watched the Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly.

I didn't really understand what members of the Assembly were
talking about. I only watched with interest when they pushed each
other around on the first day of the session.

I agree that the Assembly should have been liquidated or, at
the very least, those involved in the brawl should have been
dismissed. It is not as if they do anything useful for the
community anyway.

It would have been more useful if they had used the costs of
the session and donated it to the hundreds of fire victims in our
area who badly need shelter.

Tono, an ojek driver: The Assembly should have been disbanded
as it is just an extra cost for the taxpayer. The money for the
session could have been used to create jobs.

I didn't watch the sessions, except for the brawl among
legislators.

Andarini Iswari, 37, a housewife in Bulak Rantai, East
Jakarta: I am not aware of the result of the MPR gathering. I
knew the MPR members were meeting but I didn't really follow its
development. I liked following the country's political issues
when former president Abdurrahman Wahid was still in power
because of the controversy he caused. Now, political issues are
like in the past, under Soeharto's administration, just boring
and of little relevance to people's lives.

Yati, a housewife in Kebon Sayur area, Central Jakarta: I am
was not interested in the session, except for the brawl among the
legislators.

It's more interesting to watch a soap opera. I didn't
understand what the legislators were talking about anyway. For
me, I really don't care whether the Assembly is liquidated or
not.

Margiyanti Suwanto, 42, housewife in Galaksi housing compound
in Bekasi: The results of the Annual Session? You are the
journalist, don't ask me! That kind of stuff is not really the
concern of a housewife. Get serious, I think none of us here know
what the results of the session are. I just know about it from
television. I watched it once but after that I thought I'd rather
watch other programs, which were entertaining. Maybe, those
meetings were useful but I just didn't understand them.