Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, announced that the legislature will carry out institutional reforms aimed at improving transparency.
Ahmad stated the reform initiative will be implemented immediately, speaking at an audience with the All-Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM SI) at the parliamentary complex here on Wednesday.“The DPR reform will be directly led by DPR Speaker Puan Maharani,” he stated.
Ahmad explained that the House leadership has been coordinating to communicate what has been done and what will be done, including a comprehensive evaluation of salaries and allowances, as well as a moratorium on both domestic and international working visits.
In addition, the DPR will support the establishment of an investigative team to probe allegations of treason and push forward deliberations on the long-delayed Asset Seizure Bill.
“Also, there was a demand for tax reductions, which will require joint efforts from both the government and the DPR,” he added.
Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Saan Mustopa acknowledged that recent political turmoil has largely been triggered by issues within the DPR itself. He affirmed that the DPR is committed to reform, improvement, and evaluation.
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According to him, changes are already underway. On August 26, the DPR officially eliminated housing allowances for its members. Going forward, DPR leadership will soon engage with all political party factions to continue the reform process, as it has become a public concern.
“The outcomes will be announced to the public. So, once everything is finalized, the DPR will announce it to the people. Once again, the DPR is listening and understands the current situation and condition of our people,” he said.
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Over the past week, a wave of large-scale demonstrations has taken place in various cities across Indonesia following the death of ride-hailing motorcycle driver, Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a police tactical vehicle during a demonstration in Jakarta on August 28.
Some of the initial demands of these demonstrations included transparency and cuts to the House of Representatives' allowances, reforms to the ethics and accountability of legislative institutions, and the rejection of several controversial bills.
