Old call, new caller
Old call, new caller
Almost a week after Speaker of the House of Representatives
(DPR) Wahono called on law makers to do some serious soul-
searching to evaluate their own performances, reactions are still
coming from various circles.
Wahono's predecessors, especially Mohammad Kharis Suhud, from
whom the current speaker took over the job, have made the same
call, but the way Wahono made his statement sounded more
relevant and more impressive. He reminded the DPR members that
the legislative body had been created to prevent the formation of
a repressive, or fascist government.
The reactions might have been provoked by the mood existing as
the people mark the 50th year of national independence with
louder calls for greater political openness.
However that may be, the lamentable reality is that during the
last three decades the DPR has never sponsored any bill. It has
only endorsed those set forth by the administration.
That is why many people say that the repeated call for action
is easier said than done. Particularly in light of the fact that
some authorities see the plea as having the ability to awaken the
sleeping tiger of liberal democracy.
Among the factors that have hampered the effort to make a
stronger legislative body are the DPR's own non-democratic
procedural rules and its inability to decide its own budget. This
has caused legislators' inaction and the political immaturity
among the law makers.
It is also a reality that the legislators only pack the
meeting hall when a cabinet minister is on hand. The situation
seems even more comic when one sees that in many cases they are
often so spellbound by the ministers' statements that they forget
to get the people's message across. This only goes to prove that
the legislators have become less sensitive towards the public's
problems. And the root cause of this unattractive trend is
apparently their lack of political professionalism.
Three decades after the current administration vowed to heal
the political ills left by president Sukarno's government, it is
far from gratifying to hear the people making jokes about the law
makers' performance, which evolves around attending meetings and
listening well but keeping quiet before going home after signing
for payment.
This view mirrors the reality pointed out by Afar Gaffar, an
observer of the political situation from Gajah Mada University in
Yogyakarta. He has noted that absenteeism is still rampant among
DPR members, who don't seem to care much about the increasing
trend toward monopoly, the annual rise in cement prices and
corruption -- outside of the scandal at the state-owned bank,
Bapindo.
With this situation, it is no wonder that the authorities do
not seem to think they have to pay serious attention to the DPR's
calls. For example, the sluggish reaction of the authorities when
the DPR called for their attention to the problem of port
congestion at Tanjung Priok harbor. Ironically, they moved fast
enough when the Asia North America Eastbound Rate Agreement made
the same appeal.
The weak position of the legislative body is a product of the
present system. The situation can only be improved if the ruling
elite believe that a strong DPR is as equally important as a
strong administration. The venture towards this end should begin
with more democratic general elections, participated in by a
number of viable political contestants.
The second step would be to guarantee that no more legislators
will be asked to leave the law making body by their parties. Of
course, this may not be possible in the near future, in light of
the fact that Wahono himself lacked the political clout to block
the recalling of DPR members recently.
Almost a week after Speaker of the House of Representatives
(DPR) Wahono called on law makers to do some serious soul-
searching to evaluate their own performances, reactions are still
coming from various circles.
Wahono's predecessors, especially Mohammad Kharis Suhud, from
whom the current speaker took over the job, have made the same
call, but the way Wahono made his statement sounded more
relevant and more impressive. He reminded the DPR members that
the legislative body had been created to prevent the formation of
a repressive, or fascist government.
The reactions might have been provoked by the mood existing as
the people mark the 50th year of national independence with
louder calls for greater political openness.
However that may be, the lamentable reality is that during the
last three decades the DPR has never sponsored any bill. It has
only endorsed those set forth by the administration.
That is why many people say that the repeated call for action
is easier said than done. Particularly in light of the fact that
some authorities see the plea as having the ability to awaken the
sleeping tiger of liberal democracy.
Among the factors that have hampered the effort to make a
stronger legislative body are the DPR's own non-democratic
procedural rules and its inability to decide its own budget. This
has caused legislators' inaction and the political immaturity
among the law makers.
It is also a reality that the legislators only pack the
meeting hall when a cabinet minister is on hand. The situation
seems even more comic when one sees that in many cases they are
often so spellbound by the ministers' statements that they forget
to get the people's message across. This only goes to prove that
the legislators have become less sensitive towards the public's
problems. And the root cause of this unattractive trend is
apparently their lack of political professionalism.
Three decades after the current administration vowed to heal
the political ills left by president Sukarno's government, it is
far from gratifying to hear the people making jokes about the law
makers' performance, which evolves around attending meetings and
listening well but keeping quiet before going home after signing
for payment.
This view mirrors the reality pointed out by Afar Gaffar, an
observer of the political situation from Gajah Mada University in
Yogyakarta. He has noted that absenteeism is still rampant among
DPR members, who don't seem to care much about the increasing
trend toward monopoly, the annual rise in cement prices and
corruption -- outside of the scandal at the state-owned bank,
Bapindo.
With this situation, it is no wonder that the authorities do
not seem to think they have to pay serious attention to the DPR's
calls. For example, the sluggish reaction of the authorities when
the DPR called for their attention to the problem of port
congestion at Tanjung Priok harbor. Ironically, they moved fast
enough when the Asia North America Eastbound Rate Agreement made
the same appeal.
The weak position of the legislative body is a product of the
present system. The situation can only be improved if the ruling
elite believe that a strong DPR is as equally important as a
strong administration. The venture towards this end should begin
with more democratic general elections, participated in by a
number of viable political contestants.
The second step would be to guarantee that no more legislators
will be asked to leave the law making body by their parties. Of
course, this may not be possible in the near future, in light of
the fact that Wahono himself lacked the political clout to block
the recalling of DPR members recently.