6 - The Parliament between 1997 and 2004: Changes and Continuities

Summary

The research time frame of this study comprised eight years — only a short time in the history of a parliament. The years between 1997 and 2004, however, saw tremendous changes in the Indonesian case. The DPR, Indonesia' parliament, has been both a subject as well as object of the transition process: A subject because it was actively involved in the regime change and the establishment of a more democratic order, and an object because the composition, status and functions of this institution were part of the deals in the debates on constitutional and legal change.

The end of the authoritarian Orde Baru marked a crucial turning point not only for the country, but for the parliament as well. After a year of transition with the authoritarian parliament, the free elections in June 1999 symbolized a new start for parliamentarism in Indonesia. The initial troubles with President Wahid and the constitutional amendment process resulted in a confrontation between parliament and the executive, which ended in a massive extension of power for the parliament. With the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri since June 2001, parliament had to define its new role in the political system. After a period of non-cooperation during the presidency of Abdurrahman Wahid, parliament tried to find a new form of cooperation with the government and a better balance between legislative and executive. To attain this balance, the constitution needed further amendments to rearrange the relationship between the two state institutions, so that each of them could better fulfil their functions.

As outlined in Chapters 3 to 5, one of the main targets of this study was to assess the three major functions of parliament in the different periods of the transition process. This section will examine how each of the described functions has undergone great changes during the period of the research.

REPRESENTATIVE FUNCTION

With regard to the representative function, the Indonesian parliament changed to a great extent between 1997 and 2004. The idea of representation, in theory, requires parliaments to act on behalf of the interests and opinions of a significant part of their constituencies. If the representative function is adequately fulfilled, parliament gains legitimacy in the eyes of the people. One question related to the representative function was to what extent the major social and political groups were represented in the DPR.