Page 281 - BUKU A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA

A CENTURY OF PARLIAMENTARY LIFE IN INDONESIA
HISTORY OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

All these times, we have been familiar with the saying or expression of President Soekarno that “a great
nation is a nation that respects its history”. One of the requirements to become a great nation is the ability to
understand that history is a lesson learned.

As a parliamentary institution of a nation that gained its independence through a long struggle to free itself
from colonialism, the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR-RI) has a long history that
can be traced back at least to the early 20 century. However, until the end of 2018, there has not been a
th
single book that can comprehensively reveal the history of the representative council in Indonesia. Even if
there are, they are generally in the form of chronicles, episodic stories, or fragments of stories.

In 2017-2018, the Secretariat General of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia initiated
the writing of five books about the History of the DPR RI in the context of a century of parliamentary life in
Indonesia. It was a long process of writing a book.

The five books were compiled to describe the experiences of the Indonesian people in parliamentary life
throughout the course of history. In their discussion, the five books try to show the “common thread” of
the nation’s struggle through the role of figures, organizations, and movement activists in parliamentary
institutions from the colonial period to independence, and the period after.

The preparation of this book of summary was an effort to make it easier to understand the five books.
Indonesian people, especially the younger generation, may have a reluctance to learn about their nation’s
long journey in political life through an esteemed representative body, which comes in a comprehensive
format in the five main books.

In the end, this book was compiled to facilitate and attract readers to understand the history of the parliamentary
life journey in Indonesia. There are obviously parts or details that were not written in this book. Details of the
history can still be read in the five main books. It is hoped that this book can be the starting point for people
to learn about parliament in Indonesia, about our identity as a nation. About Indonesia.

****

THE SECRETARIAT GENERAL
OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
Jl. Jenderal Gatot Subroto, Senayan, Central Jakarta 10270
Ph. 021-571 5697
Email: bag_penerbitan@dpr.go.id