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Views on the Functions of the DPR

The People's Representative Council is a legislative body that has three

main functions. Legislative function or legislature, budgetary function and
oversight function. Draft laws can come from the executive and legislature. Bills
originating from the DPR are often referred to as initiatives proposed by the DPR.
Completion of the draft law takes quite a long time and the funds are quite large,
which is increasing every year. The legal basis for the function of the budget is
very clear, namely in the 1945 Constitution and the law that regulates state
finances. The supervisory function is carried out to control the government in
implementing policies.

However, it turns out that the three main functions of the DPR are in fact
getting a bad image from the public. This is particularly the case with regard to
legislative and budgetary functions. With regard to the legislative function, the
results achieved are in stark contrast to the funds disbursed. Moreover, the funds
used to make working visits abroad are sometimes inappropriate and do not
produce results. Likewise, when discussing laws, most of them were held outside
the council building and preferred to be held in luxury hotels. Likewise with the
behavior of members of the council who often do not comply with the schedule of
hearings, which results in the slow completion of enactment of laws.

The function of the budget is not much different. The enthusiasm that
emerges is only to spend the budget to fulfill personal interests so that it is far
from being pro-people's budget. Apart from that, there have been many budget
intermediaries, both from members of the DPR themselves and their delegates, so
that it has caused a lot of harm to regions that really need funds for the
development of their regions. Somewhat different from the supervisory function.
Until now, more than thirty working committees (panja) have been formed,
although in substance they have not resolved the root of the problem
 It is very clear that the creativity carried out by the DPR for the
achievement of personal, group, group or party interests is greater when compared
to fighting for the interests of the people who have voted for and have hopes that
their aspirations and needs can be realized as promised during the campaign
period. .
1. Swelling of the DPR Legislative Budget
The DPR is considered to be less productive even though the budget for
bills initiated by members of the DPR has swelled. The target for the 2010
National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) targets the completion of the
discussion of 70 draft laws to become laws. The chairman of the DPR's
legislative body (Baleg) stated that a number of bills were deadlocked due
to disagreements between the government and the DPR. (Republika: 15
December 2010) There were only 14 laws produced in 2010, which did
not reach 20% of the target.

2. The implementation of the DPR's oversight function touches little

substance.
The DPR as one of the high state institutions in the Indonesian government
system carries out a supervisory function. This function is carried out
through supervision over the implementation of laws and the state budget.
In 2010, the DPR formed 32 working committees (PANJA) to carry out its
oversight functions. According to the Director of the Center for Political
Studies (PUSKAPOL) of the Department of Political Science, FISIP UI,
Sri Budi Eko W, that the oversight function is relatively running with the
frequency of using the right of interpellation, the right of inquiry as well as
in the working meeting forum at the commission. However, according to
him, supervision is carried out within the framework of short-term
political interests and very little touches on substance. In addition, in
carrying out its oversight function, the DPR tends to be reactive in
responding to hot issues in society.

3. The implementation of the DPR's budgetary function is full of

sharp criticism
The budget function is carried out to discuss and give approval or not to
the Draft Law on the State Budget submitted by the President. The
emergence of news of the rise of members of the DPR as budget brokers is
very embarrassing and injures the principle of political representation
which is translated into the role of allocating the budget for their own
interests, rather than for the public interest or the implementation of a pro-
self budget function (DPR). However, as a member of society, I think that
the function of the DPR's budget is not yet pro-people. Members of the
 public have questioned the budget for DPR members in the form of funds
for aspiration houses, comparative studies abroad, visits to regions and the
DPR's official car.

So I can conclude that the performance of the DPR is still not optimal.
This is inseparable from the lack of implementation of the function of the DPR as
the representative of the people which has a legislative function, a budgetary
function, and a control function.The performance of the DPR in implementing the
legislative function is not much to be proud of. The people who give their full
trust to the DPR are rewarded with unclear actions and performance, the people
do not feel the genuine performance of the DPR to fight for the various interests
of the people. In the opinion of LIPI's political observer, Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, the
DPR is actually busy with its own interests, preoccupied with the positions of
chairmen and deputy chairmen of commissions and DPR bodies between
coalitions and members of the DPR as well as spectacles that are not educational
at the start of the 2014 DPR's performance. The DPR is only busy seizing
positions rather than carrying out their roles and functions as honorable
representatives of the people.

In carrying out its functions, the DPR's performance in the current period
is considered to have very low performance, especially in the legislative function.
DPR as one of the institutions of the political system in Indonesia contained in the
1945 Constitution, is a living institution. His attitude and behavior may change
from time to time, as long as the change is within the framework of the main rules
contained in the 1945 Constitution.

What are his attitudes and behaviorreflects a fresh, weighty and

vibrant image, or an impression that is sick, weak and sluggish, however, it is not
certain that the image of society represents the actual situation. But the presence
of a certain image of the DPR from the public from time to time certainly contains
elements of truth (Alfian, p.43). The DPR's image of being lazy, weak and
sluggish has not changed over several periods. Moreover, there is no special
institution assigned to exercise control over the legislature.

As representatives of the people, members of the DPR should be more

active and sensitive to the interests of their people, but members of the legislature
prefer agendas that are less popular and appear to be a waste of people's money.
As a result of this kind of action, the image of the DPR in society has declined,
moreover many members of the DPR are involved in corruption and bribery
problems which are no longer a secret in society.

REFERENCE
Alfian, “Masalah Pelaksanaan Fungsi DPR Yang Diinginkan oleh UUD 1945”, Jurnal Ilmu Politik
No. 7, Jakarta, Penerbit PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama, 1990.

Plamenatz, John dalam Riswandha Imawan, “Faktor-faktor Yang Menghambat Usaha

Optimalisasi Peran DPR RI”, dalam Fungsi LegislatifDalamSistem Politik Indonesia, Jakarta, PT.
Raja Grafindo Persada, 1995.

Sartori dalam Riswandha Imawan, “Faktor-faktor Yang Menghambat Usaha Optimalisasi P e r a

n D P R R I ” , d a l a m F u n g s i Legislatif Dalam Sistem Politik Indonesia, Jakarta, PT.
Raja Grafindo Persada, 1995.

Ikrar Nusa Bakti, DPR RI: Kinerja Awal yang Buruk. Lembaga Ilmu Pengerahuan Indonesia LIPI,
Pusat Penelitian Politik. “Quo Vadis Politik Indonesia”. LIPI Press, Jakarta.