Parliamentary ethics

Parliamentary ethics

Aside from the question of whether the President's policy
address will be accepted or rejected, we hope that this first
gathering of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in this era
of reform will proceed successfully, and that the Assembly can
produce resolutions that contribute to the establishment of a
civil society in a new Indonesia.

Interruptions and expressions of disapproval are normal parts
of democracy, which is what we are seeking to establish. The
democracy that we want to build, however, is one that cherishes
good ethics. We hope the show of democracy which our legislators
are now displaying in the MPR can serve as an example for the
Indonesian public at large.

We are happy to see that the democratic processes that we have
been witnessing during this MPR session have been getting better
and better so far. Whether the President's speech should be
accepted or rejected is for the people's representatives to
decide. We hope, though, that that decision will be made on
considerations that transcend narrow group or factional
interests. The interests which our legislators in the MPR are
representing are first and foremost those of the Indonesian
population as a whole.

-- Bisnis Indonesia, Jakarta