'Social ills caused by arrogance'

'Social ills caused by arrogance'

JAKARTA (JP): Speaker of the House of Representatives Wahono has said that Indonesia's present social ills are the products of the arrogance of power, the habit of certain people of flaunting their wealth and the widening social gap.

To overcome the problem, the authorities -- both military and civilian -- should improve their sensitivity and vision in relation to the people's problems, he said yesterday, as quoted by Antara.

Speaking at a ceremony at his office to install new members of the House and the People's Consultative Assembly, Wahono called on both the government and the people to pay serious attention to this particular growing pain of the nation, saying it has shown a tendency to get worse.

Under the Indonesian system, House members are automatically members of the Assembly.

"We have to be brave enough to see the living reality in our society. There are deepening symptoms of dissatisfaction, restlessness, which have been manifested in the form of brawls and brutality," he said.

He also appealed to legislators to show greater political maturity, conduct soul searching and to live modest lives so as to set an example for the people.

"This is badly needed because the people's aspirations are mounting," he said

Wahono said that the House regards the government as its dialog partner and that, he hoped, the executive held a reciprocal attitude towards the legislature.

The new legislators consist of four members of the Golkar faction, one from the Indonesian Democratic Party and two from the Armed Forces (ABRI).

The new Assembly members consist of three representatives from the provinces, two from Golkar and two from ABRI. They replace representatives who have died or have been withdrawn by their respective parties. (tis)