Legislators must be proactive

Legislators must be proactive

From Sinar Pagi

A legislator of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives
(DPRD) said on TV that he would go on strike if their demand
addressed to the Jakarta administration to close down gambling
dens and other immoral establishments was not met.

The law clearly prohibits businesses that provide gambling and
other immoral practices. The proposal by the legislator should be
seen as an ultimatum to the Jakarta administration, in this case
the governor. If the governor cannot meet the legislator's
demand, he should resign.

The reluctance shown by the legislator shows that the
executive body is more dominant and authoritative than the
legislative body. Moreover, as the governor's post is filled by
an active member of the Armed Forces, it certainly makes
legislators tremble.

In this era of reform, such an attitude should not be
maintained. Legislators, both in the DPRD and the DPR, should
more often sing, "...maju tak gentar, membela yang benar..."
(a patriotic song asking people to go forward without fear while
defending the truth) to encourage them to act in the people's
interest. Now that their term of office is drawing to a close,
legislators should take the opportunity to see their achievements
written in golden ink in the country's history.

Legislators should also be more proactive when dealing with
problems in the community. For example, there is a move to set up
gotong royong command posts in the name of Megawati, the leader
of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) Perjuangan. The
existence of those posts must be monitored because they bring
more disadvantages than benefits.

Some of those posts are used for activities which do not serve
their intended purpose. These posts should be reconsidered
because their existence could create unrest. If each political
party were to set up similar posts, the situation could lead to a
civil war among the common people.

Moreover, it is not guaranteed that Megawati and the PDI
Perjuangan will in fact benefit from the command posts. If the
existence of the posts is detrimental to the people's interest,
it will certainly also adversely affect Megawati and the PDI
Perjuangan.

AHMAD BAEDOWI

Jakarta