'Implement Constitution properly, don't amend it'

One of main agenda items in the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly is the amendment of the Constitution. But people in the street believe that it is the way the Constitution is implemented that really matters.

M. Nurdin is a scavenger who collects waste paper. He has been in the business for 15 years and now lives in Srengseng Sawah, West Jakarta, with other fellow scavengers, plus his wife and three children:

I never feel that legislators represent ordinary people. They are only thinking about their own selfish interests.

I don't know what "amendment" means. However, I think that regulations or the Constitution must have been well written. The problem lies with those who implement the Constitution. Our country is notorious for its many wrongdoers, isn't it?

Let's suppose that they were honest people. An amendment wouldn't be needed right now. We would simply follow the existing Constitution, right?

The Annual Session has other negative aspects too as it is also a waste of public money. Suppose the funds were allotted to improving the welfare of scavengers, or for housing and education. That would surely produce real benefit for poor people.

I get bored watching TV broadcasts of the session. Why should I care about them if they don't care about us?

Jujuk, is a food vendor who has sold traditional Yogyakarta food for nine years. She comes from Kebumen, Central Java, and resides in Juraganan, South Jakarta, with her husband and two children:

What the hell is the Annual Session for! It's useless to hold a session like that now. It's just a complete waste of money!

The Assembly will simply make the rich more prosperous. The budget is Rp 20 billion, isn't it? It would be much better to spend the money on meals for poor people.

What the heck are they doing now? Changing the Constitution is ridiculous. The regulations are good enough despite having been made by human beings. It is the behavior of government officials and legislators that matters, not the regulations.

I deeply regret that I voted for the representatives who are in the session at the moment. I subsequently did not see those honorable legislators representing the interests of ordinary people.

Saji, 50, is a scavenger who collects trash from the dustbins at an elite housing complex. He lives in Kemandoran, West Java, while his wife and three children live in Tambun, Bekasi:

I didn't think I had a representative until you told me, because I never felt that there was someone who represented my aspirations to the state.

In my opinion, the Annual Session is just one huge opportunity for indulging in power politics. That's why I don't want to watch TV or listen to the radio when they broadcast the sessions.

I don't know what "amendment" means. I'm just illiterate and uneducated. As far as I know, the Constitution doesn't need changing.

Most important of all, it's the life of low-income people that should be changed. Lower-income people like me don't demand that much. We would feel relieved if the price of goods were affordable and corrupt people eradicated. That would be enough.

Toha, 21, has sold cendol (a local beverage) for six years. He moved to the city nine years ago from Pekalongan, Central Java. He is single and lives on Jl. Arteri, South Jakarta:

I don't want to think about the People's Consultative Assembly as it gives me a headache.

I understand one thing for sure: It's getting harder and harder to earn money now.

It's better to change the situation rather than make a fuss over amending the Constitution. How can the regulations be changed while the country remains unstable, with a continuing economic slump and resultant widespread economic hardship?

We lower-income people live in hardship as high-ranking officials are preoccupied with their own interests and jockey for political position.

-- Leo Wahyudi S