Hundreds of legislators-elect of the House of Representatives and the Regional Representatives Council walked briskly on Tuesday (1/10/2019) to the Nusantara Building’s Plenary Room I at the Senayan legislative complex.
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Hundreds of legislators-elect of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) walked briskly on Tuesday (1/10/2019) to the Nusantara Building’s Plenary Room I at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. They almost appeared to be racing each other to enter the room, impatient to be sworn in as public representatives for the next five years.
It was still 8 o’clock in the morning, two hours before their inauguration.
The politicians observed strict protocol. Only a few were late to arrive ahead of the inauguration ceremony, the commencement of which would be marked by the arrival of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla. One of these was legislator-elect Adian Napitupulu, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).
As they walked to the room, they were all smiles, greeting everyone they passed. Journalists were no exception. Several legislators with whom it was generally difficult to arrange a meeting were unexpectedly friendly and open to questions on many issues.
One of these was Yandri Susanto, the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction chairman at the DPR. He usually did not approach the media to reveal the interfactional dynamics of political lobbies in securing the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speakership, an issue on which the media found it difficult to obtain tips.
It was not just Yandri, and the other House legislators were acting the same, with media interviews occurring in all corners of the legislative complex.
Positive energy emanated from their behavior as well as their appearance. The male legislators were dressed in neat, smooth and fragranced black jackets. Their colognes overwhelmed the aroma of the flowers decorating the inauguration venue.
Meanwhile, the female legislators were dressed no less attractively in their kebaya (long-sleeved traditional blouses) and sarongs from several regions. Their colorful attire matched their makeup and carefully styled hair.
“This is the culmination of our campaign efforts. So we wish to appear at our best,” said Dewi Coryati from the PAN faction.
Clad in a dark-blue brocaded kebaya with embroidery in a matching shade, an elegant gold necklace around her neck, Dewi said it had taken her some time to dress for the inauguration. She had spent several days choosing the clothing and accessories for the occasion.
The best dressed was, of course, Gerindra Party legislator and singer Mulan Jameela, who was dressed in a cream bajubodo from South Sulawesi with matching hijab. Mulan said that her clothes were specially created by renowned designer Didiet Maulana.
Also captivating was Evi Apita Maya, a DPD senator from West Nusa Tenggara who was caught up in a viral storm of criticism for using a fake photo for her campaign. She arrived in a pink kebaya and matching sarong, hijab and makeup.
Expectations
Political communications expert Hendri Satrio of Paramadina University said that the appearance and behavior of the legislators during their inauguration reflected their positivity. However, he stressed that, faced with multiple challenges, the possibility of internal change within the DPR was slim.
An opinion poll Kompas R&D conducted on 25-27 Sept. that involved 419 respondents showed that they were generally doubtful about having any expectations of the new DPR. For instance, 53.5 percent of respondents were not confident that the House had the capacity to listen to the people and channel public aspirations, whereas only 35.3 percent were confident.
An attractive appearance is not what the public desires from its legislators. The same poll showed that the respondents expected their representatives to avoid certain practices, including accepting bribes, being slow to discuss legislation, being unserious about attending meetings and playing truant.
The people need the DPR to be committed to working for them, not just looking brand-new at the beginning of their tenure.