Was it worth the effort?

Was it worth the effort?

Most of the lawmakers assembled for a little over a week in
Jakarta for the Annual Session of the nation's supreme policy-
making body, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), would
certainly resent being labeled ineffective; nor is it entirely
fair to say that the session that ended yesterday was a total
waste of time, energy and tax-payers' money. After all, the
lawmakers in the MPR can point to some tangible progress made in
their deliberations.

For example, there is the rather grandiose, even if hazy,
concept of "Vision 2020", which the Assembly passed to serve as a
policy guideline for the government and the nation to achieve
prosperity within the next 20 years. What "Vision 2020" envisions
is nothing less than achieving national unity, establishing a
democratic political system and a productive and fair economic
system, establishing a civilized social and cultural system,
developing qualified human resources and countering the negative
impacts of globalization -- all within the time span of those two
decades.

Also -- and on a more substantial plane -- there is the
agreement in principle to transform the MPR from the all-powerful
agglomeration of elected party representatives and appointed
legislators that it is at present into a bicameral system
consisting of all elected members and regional representatives to
make for a more publicly accountable parliament.

On the question of direct presidential elections, however, the
progress was partial -- that is to say, there has been agreement
on the principle of direct presidential election without the
Assembly having been able to bridge differences on details such
how to proceed next in the event the presidential and vice-
presidential candidates fail to win an outright majority of
votes. The question was deferred for debate in the Assembly's
upcoming session next year.

Thus, once again, it is not entirely fair to say that this
year's annual session of the MPR achieved nothing. Still, given
the crisis situation the nation is currently in, the question of
whether the session was worth the expenditures of time, energy
and, especially, money persists. Overall, it must be said that
the nation had expected a good deal more from their top
legislators.

For example, the global situation has been drastically changed
in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States and the
ensuing war in Afghanistan. As a result, the global economy is
experiencing a serious downturn with equally serious consequences
for Indonesia. None of these pressing issues were addressed by
the MPR, no suggestions or policy guidelines for tackling the
economy in this time of crisis were adopted. The question of
constitutional reform is left dangling.

Given the opportunities that were missed, the answer to the
question raised above could well be in the negative. The apathy
with which most average Indonesians have greeted the MPR's annual
session could well reflect the general feeling prevailing in the
community: the money could have been better spent elsewhere,
where it is needed.