Page 279 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE
IN INDONESIA

However, during this long period of time, more or less during the 30 years
of the New Order Government, the DPR as a legislative body had not
always fully served as an instrument of Government legitimacy. There
were times when, especially in the early 1990s, the DPR also played an
active role in carrying out its duty as an institution that supervised and
criticized Government policies. Looking at the dynamics as described
in the five history books of the DPR, the description of the DPR as a Go-
vernment policy stamper is not entirely correct.

When the New Order ended and Indonesia en-
tered the reformation era, or sometimes referred
to as the Reformation Order, the DPR that result-
A century of ed from the elections in this era was a different

parliamentary life legislative body from the DPR in the previous ad-
ministrations.
in Indonesia should
have been completed The beginning of reformation could be said to be
a period of strengthening the DPR as a legisla-
in 2018, which was tive body. It has transformed into a legislative in-

exactly 100 years since stitution that is quite articulate in conveying the
aspirations of the people. The pressures and re-
the Volksraad was straints that the Indonesian people felt during the
born in the country New Order found their way to be released.

which was later In the process, the DPR in the reformation era

named Indonesia. faced quite a number of problems, both internal
and external. A number of notes that must be
considered was the relationship of this institution
with the executive which was sometimes incon-
sistent in looking at a number of problems. At a
certain point, this showed the DPR’s efforts to
optimize its supervisory function, something that was clearly not done
optimally by the DPR during the New Order administration.

On the other hand, sometimes, the supervisory function was also not
optimal, in which the majority of members of the DPR came from the
same party as the elected president. Especially if the president at the
same time served as chairman or other important position in a political
party. The culture of some Indonesians who are very reluctant to criticize
influential figures was very difficult to distinguish from how they should
behave in every activity within the Council. The atmosphere of the politi-
cal party that supposedly should not be carried away when members of

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