“Upon this vow, I promise to work to fulfill the interests of the homeland and the nation, to the limits of the knowledge and abilities that I possess."
This excerpt from Sultan Hamengku Buwono (H.B.) IX’s inaugural address on 18 March 1940, upon being crowned the King of the Yogyakarta Sultanate, immediately comes to mind on reading the current discourse about legislators who plan to revise Law No. 2/2018 on the MPR, DPR, DPD and DPRD (MD3 Law). Several members of the House of Representatives (DPR) have proposed to increase the MPR leadership to 10 members: one speaker and nine deputy speakers (Kompas, 22/8/2019). Article 427C of the MD3 Law stipulates that the MPR leadership be comprised of one speaker and four deputy speakers.
Jumenengan (the coronation) of Sultan H.B. IX was published in his biography, Tahta untuk Rakyat (Throne for the people; Gramedia, 1982). A throne or seat (position) is useless if it is unable to provide benefits to the people. Thus, for whom do the people\'s representatives win their seats, through their political parties, in the election? The members of the DPR as well as the MPR are given their power through the democratic process – from the people, by the people, for the people – and should thus be used for the interests and welfare of the people. This is in line with Article 1, Paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution that stipulates sovereignty as a mandate of the people and which is to be exercised constitutionally.
National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar and several DPR members said lobbying to distribute MPR leadership seats among political factions had become deadlocked. Revising the MD3 Law by expanding the number of MPR leaders was the middle way to resolve the political deadlock. If the House factions agreed and the MD3 Law was amended again, the MPR leadership would comprise 10 lawmakers – one each for every party that passed the legislative threshold.
In contrast, the 136-member provincial-level legislature, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), would be allocated only a single deputy chairmanship in the MPR.
There is a feeling that the proposed MPR leadership composition is unfair, because it is believed that only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had more elected legislators in the DPR than in the DPD. This could potentially lead to a dispute in determining the composition of the MPR leadership, as this depended on political parties and the DPD reaching an agreement.
The MPR actually does not require a large leadership. Article 3 of the 1945 Constitution stipulates the MPR’s responsibilities as amending and enacting the Constitution, inaugurating the President and/or Vice President, hold a session at least once a year, hold additional sessions as requested by the DPR, and pursue impeachment proceedings against a sitting President/Vice President according to the Constitution.
The PDI-P and Golkar Party leaders have not yet agreed on expanding the MPR leadership. The
MD3 Law was only modified last year, yet the lobbying has still occurred. If the MPR leadership is expanded for the 2019-2024 term, the DPR’s annual budget will increase by around Rp 200 billion each year – funds that can be used to improve the people\'s welfare.