Ceritalah: A Democratic Reset
For all the money that’s spent promoting the various political parties, it strikes me that more should be allocated to explaining Indonesia’s constitution. This is because the lower house of the legislature, the House of Representatives, matters a great deal.
Karim Raslan, Jakarta Globe
Most Indonesian voters don’t know who the candidates in the upcoming polls are. To make matters worse, they don’t really understand what these proto-legislators are supposed to do once they’re elected.
These two fundamental problems are the key reasons why campaigning has been so lackluster.
For many, Indonesia’s transition to democracy has not brought the much-heralded positive changes. If anything, life is tougher, more competitive and worrying as bread-and-butter issues — such as the price of onions — become sources of constant irritation and even anxiety.
Still, the degree of understanding is abysmal. For instance, Shodiq, a farmer from Nganjuk, said: “All I know about House members is they have to attend a lot of meetings.” Similarly, Robert, who works in a Surabaya-based finance company, noted: “Apart from meetings, they conduct comparative studies over here and abroad, using our money.”
For all the money that’s spent promoting the various political parties, it strikes me that more should be allocated to explaining Indonesia’s constitution. This is because the lower house of the legislature, the House of Representatives, matters a great deal. As powerful as the Republic’s presidency is, the legislature plays a critical role in determining the executive’s effectiveness and Indonesia’s future.
The House’s responsibilities include formulating legislation with the president and debating government regulations issued to replace current laws.
At the same time, it is also crucial in discussing bills proposed by the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) for matters concerning regional autonomy, the relationship between the central and local governments and other regional issues.
The House is also involved in discussing and approving state budgets proposed by the president, after taking into consideration the concerns of the DPD. Additionally, the House also has the power of budgetary oversight. If exercised properly, this could be a crucial bulwark against corruption and wasteful spending.
