When legislators grumble

From Koran Tempo

The recent hearing between President Megawati Soekarnoputri and the House of Representatives has disappointed the House members.

The President was reluctant to hold a direct dialog with the House members, instead she left soon after she read her report.

Why should the House members be disgruntled and grumbling? This kind of an informal meeting, including meetings with Cabinet ministers, is something new, which is very good.

Why didn't they officially convey that their written ideas and concepts could be discussed institutionally?

The President's reluctance to hold a dialog relates to the current political situation.

A dialog between the House and the president turned out to a prolonged dispute during the administration of Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), which resulted in the unresolved national agenda.

Political dialog is, in fact, nonsense, because politics have been improperly exploited by the parties.

Abdurrahman once criticized that House members had acted like kindergarten pupils. After that the House members entered a phase where they loved political jargons and unending polemics.

It is time now for House members to behave more maturely with clear programs.

HASAN PATRIO, Cirebon, West Java