Additional Deputy Speakers to Accommodate Political Interests

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

Ahmad Basarah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction (left), Zulkifli Hasan of the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, EE Mangindaan of the Democratic Party faction, and Oesman Sapta of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The public has doubts that the addition of three deputy speakers in the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) will improve the effectiveness and performance of the state’s highest body. The addition is deemed to have no positive effect whatsoever on public life, but the new deputy speakers will add to the burden on state coffers.

The three new MPR deputy speakers are Ahmad Basarah from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) faction, Ahmad Muzani of the Gerindra Party faction and Muhaimin Iskandar of the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction. Their inauguration was scheduled to take place in an MPR plenary session at the legislative complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday (26/3/2018).

They will join the other MPR speaker and deputy speakers, who were inaugurated in 2014. These are speaker Zulkifli Hasan of the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, EE Mangindaan of the Democratic Party faction, Mahyudin of the Golkar Party faction, Hidayat Nur Wahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction and Oesman Sapta of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

The inauguration of the three new MPR deputy speakers is in line with Article 427A Point C of Law No. 2/2018 on legislative institutions, known as the MD3 Law. The three new deputy speakers are respectively members of the political parties with the most votes, the third most votes and the sixth most votes in the 2014 legislative election.

Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi) coordinator Sebastian Salang said in Jakarta on Sunday (25/3) that he was pessimistic the three new deputy speakers would improve the MPR’s performance. He said the addition of deputy speakers was more about accommodating political interests.

Sebastian said the existing MPR speaker and deputy speakers had yet to prove their effectiveness in nurturing the people’s national ideology. “The presence of new deputy speakers in this year of politics will only be used to advance personal and political parties’ interests ahead of the 2019 elections through the use of state facilities,” Sebastian said.

Increasing budget

Centre for Budget Analysis director Uchok Sky Khadafy said the budget for MPR members’ salary had increased from Rp 21.7 billion (US$1.58 million) in 2016 to Rp 85.2 billion in 2017 and Rp 86.5 billion in 2018.

“The budget continues to rise even without the addition of new legislative members,” Uchok said in a discussion titled “Implications of the MD3 Law Implementation, Anti-Criticism Articles and State Financial Burden”.

Separately, PKB deputy secretary-general Daniel Johan said Muhaimin would spend most of his time as new MPR deputy speaker to meet with people across the regions and listen to their concerns. This would be done to serve the people.

“Cak Imin will strive to be on the frontline of strengthening Pancasila in the life of the nation and the people. Pancasila must be able to respond to our daily needs, especially in terms of achieving social justice and strengthening mutual assistance,” he said, referring to Muhaimin by his popular name.

Muzani said Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto had mandated him to make the MPR an institution that protected the nation’s integrity through the implementation of Pancasila values and the 1945 Constitution.

Basarah said that, as an MPR deputy speaker, he would improve the state body’s effectiveness in promoting the four pillars of the nation. Therefore, he would strengthen synergy and cooperation with President Joko Widodo’s Agency for the Implementation of State Ideology of Pancasila (BPIP).

“We will optimize the state’s responsibility to nurture people’s awareness and the resilience of the national ideology of Pancasila,” Basarah said.

(SAN/DD07)