In pursuit of better DPR

In pursuit of better DPR

Indonesians have just heard yet another moan of discontent
about the way the House of Representatives (DPR) functions. This
time the lament was voiced by no less than the Speaker of the
DPR, Wahono.

It is saddening to note that this is not the first time a DPR
figure has pointed a finger at the legislative body's failure to
perform. Wahono's predecessor, Mohammad Kharis Suhud, also
fretted about the problem, when he was at the helm there a few
years ago.

With this latest lament, it is exceedingly clear that very
little, if any, progress has been made since.

The executive branch of the government, which is said to have
the last say about how effectively the DPR should function, is
not totally to be blamed for the grim picture.

In the eyes of the public, the quality of many of the
legislators clearly stands in question. But before one speaks too
critically about the quality of the DPR members and how they have
carried out their constitutional duties, one should first ask
whether the general election system supports the election of
quality representatives?

History shows us that things were once very different. One
has only to review the impressive performance of the appointed
members of the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly (MPRS)
who acted as midwives for the birth of the New Order between 1966
and 1968. And the performance of the legislators put into office
in the 1971 general election continued to be exemplary, despite
the fact they found themselves in a position in which it was not
possible to accelerate their check and balance duties.

That trend continues today. So much so that Wahono has felt
the need to repeat his plea to legislators to do some serious
soul-searching in facing the mounting criticism addressed to them
by the public.

In recent years, society has been changing rapidly, while the
function of the legislators has shown no significant improvement.
The nation's economic progress has produced not only better
educated people, but also people who are more straightforward in
expressing their demands for greater democracy.

In the self-examination process called for by the speaker, the
legislators perhaps need to consider the reality outside the DPR
building. There is now a growing middle class and a more militant
younger generation -- not to mention the press -- which still
have to maximize their roles as agents of social control.

We feel the need to respond to Wahono's lament on the basis of
the fact that the nation's constitution clearly advocates a
strong House of Representatives, along with an effective
administration for this country.

The legislature is now 49 years old and the relationship
between the two still needs balancing.

The administration can do a lot to improve the situation. For
example, by providing the legislative body with an adequate
budget to finance its constitutional tasks, such as inquiry, the
hiring of expert consultants and the sponsoring of bills,
something the DPR has neglected for more than two decades.

Last but not least, no member of the prestigious body will
ever have the courage to speak out on the people's aspirations as
long as they stand under the shadow of being recalled by their
parties for overt outspokenness.

The revocation of the parties' recall right would surely help
legislators to function more properly at their tasks, rather than
reacting in a knee-jerk manner when public opinion exerts extreme
pressure on them, as in the case of the banning of the notorious
SDSB lottery.

In the past the administration might have believed that a
highly outspoken DPR could destabilize the country because of the
left-wing and right-wing elements suspected to be among the
representatives. However, there does not seem to be any further
reason for such caution because all political groups here have
adopted the same ideological basis: Pancasila. Not to mention the
fact that the nation's servicemen still serve as a stabilizing
factor in the lawmaking process.