Towards a more effective legislature

Towards a more effective legislature

While meeting with leaders of the newspaper Kedaulatan Rakyat,
President Soeharto asked the press to put straight the public
misconception that the government's power exceeds that of the
House of Representatives.

The President's remark has drawn a number of reactions,
including some from members of the House itself. The conclusion
which we can draw from these reactions is that introspection is
needed from the House as well as from everybody else concerned in
order for the legislature to be able to properly function.

Despite the fact that President Soeharto has been transparent
in his appeal for control, it appears that the House -- as an
institution or through its individual members -- has never
exercised any such control or supervision over the President's
policies.

What is actually happening? Members of the legislature have
been complaining that they have been unable to perform their
functions as specified by the 1945 Constitution because of
internal constraints, such as overly rigid procedures, lack of
experts, lack of research and development facilities, and so
forth.

We hope that since the constraints are recognized, a real
effort will be made by the legislature to overcome these
limitations without waiting for government generosity. If an
effort is made by the House to surmount its shortcomings, and if
procedures conducive to the proper performance of the House's
legislative rights are formulated, we are certain that no
obstacles will be encountered.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta