Kompas daily on 16 May wrote the news with the title "Red Carpet for Relatives." It was reported that a number of relatives of the leadership of political parties were proposed as candidates. There is the name of Pinka Hapsari (daughter of PDI-P chairperson Puan Maharani), Atalia Kamil (wife of Golkar deputy chairman Ridwan Kamil), Yane Ardian (wife of chairman of the Central Executive Board of the National Mandate Party [PAN] Bima Arya), Putri Zulkifli Hasan (daughter of PAN general chairman Zulkifli Hasan), Titiek Prabowo (ex-wife of Gerindra general chairman Prabowo Subianto). There is also Yusril Kemal Fadlulah (son of Crescent Star Party [PBB] chairman Yusril Ihza Mahendra).
In addition to the relatives of political party leaders, a number of ministers and celebrities also shine among the faces of the 2024 election candidates. There is nothing wrong with the political recruitment of such models. It is the right of everyone to become a legislative candidate. However, the public also hopes that candidates voice the interests of the people who have put them into the legislature.
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From a number of polls conducted by survey institutions, the House of Representatives has the lowest level of public confidence of any state institution. The legislative candidates must realize that if they are elected, they are elected to office, chosen by the people, paid from people's taxes, to speak, and continue to speak.
The legislature's work is speaking. Speaking as a member in the House is not just speaking at a seminar. Speaking in the legislature is the exertion of power, working on power, processing power to achieve goals. It cannot be understood if members of the House have never spoken to process power or only submit to the general leaders of political parties.
Daniel Dhakidae said the power of speech, which fights for the interests of the people, is the essence of the House. For this reason, being a member of the House must mean having compassion for what the people feel, having political sensibility, and having technical abilities.
The people's disappointment with the House is reflected in a number of survey institutions. The latest example is the brouhaha about the damaged roads in Lampung, which went viral after a tiktoker exposed it to the public. The question is, where was the voice of members of the House from the electoral district of Lampung? Where was the voice of members of the Lampung Provincial DPRD? Where were members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) or Lampung Senators. Why were they silent?
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The situation is a betrayal of the mandate of the people. The public hopes that members of the House, which consist of celebrities, can process power with their power to voice the cries of the people. People who are poor because of the widespread corruption, speak out about ecological destruction because of the greed of the elite who do not pay attention to cross-generational justice, shout about the social inequality that is increasingly gaping between the rich and the poor.
Hopefully relatives and celebrities will not disappoint. It is time for them to convey ideas, not just rely on popularity.
This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.
