Legislator practices politics for people

Legislator practices politics for people

JAKARTA (JP): Efforts to brush aside the long-standing image
of the House of Representatives as a mere rubber-stamper of the
government should not simplify the role played by a young
politician from Golkar Party, Ade Komarudin.

The nation saw "a political taboo" maintained for more than
three decades broken when the House questioned, if not
criticized, the policy of the President.

It was the 35-year-old legislator who, along with fellow young
turks in the House, initiated the House interpellation motion
against President Abdurrahman Wahid's decision to dismiss two
ministers without clear reasons.

Talking about the move, Ade contends he never had any
intention to unseat Abdurrahman by proposing the motion or any
ill-feeling toward the President, saying that he was just
exercising his responsibility as a legislator who has to control
the President.

"There is no personal animosity against him, but it is the
right and obligation of legislators to watch over the President,"
Ade told The Jakarta Post.

He underlined that he wants to erase the public image that the
House merely says "yes" to whatever decision is taken by the
government.

"If every state body functions as it is supposed to be,
everything will be all right. We, legislators, have to fight for
the people we are representing and this does not mean we are
attempting to topple the President" Ade said.

"House members need empowerment to exercise their rights and
obligations. They should not be chained as happened during the
New Order regime."

In the ongoing Annual Session of the People's Consultative
Assembly, Ade has a seat in the Commission C charged with
evaluating the progress reports of state institutions, including
the presidency, and proposing recommendations to reply to the
reports.

However, he admitted he remains unhappy with the commission's
decision to merely ask the President to give details of the task-
sharing formula between the President and Vice President without
putting further pressure on the government to improve its
performance.

"For the last ten months, the executives have yet to prove
anything, there has been no reform at all. No change has taken
place because everybody can see the New Order survived," he said.

Born on May 20, 1965, and married to Netty Marliza, Ade joined
Golkar Party in 1997 and in that year's general election he was
elected a legislator representing the province of West Java.

Soon after arriving in Senayan, the area where the House is
located, Ade was among the first Golkar legislators who read
signs of the New Order's demise and signed "a vote of non-
confidence" against former president Soeharto.

"I remember it was on May 18, 1998, that I, along with 20
legislators, signed the note in the House's room number 1314 and
submitted it to our faction chairman. Our faction was afraid to
take a stance," Ade recollected.

Politics is nothing new in his life and he has been known as
an activist since he was a student at the Jakarta-based Syarif
Hidayatullah State Institute of Islamic Studies. He is also a
former deputy chairman of the Association of Islamic Students
(HMI).

Following in the footsteps of his senior, House Speaker Akbar
Tandjung, Ade joined the Indonesian Young Generation for Reform
(AMPI), a youth organization affiliated with Golkar.

"So actually everything is as usual, if right now I am still
critical and trying to look for a better solution to this
stagnant condition. I have made politics my choice of life and I
will be serious in this field," Ade said.

When asked whether he is afraid of being outspoken about the
government, he said: "We should start to worry when most people
disagree with us, but not when most people agree with what we are
doing."

"In life we should not expect or be afraid of anything. Life
goes on and we do our best and see how things come up." (dja)