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| People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) | |
|---|---|
| Name | People's Consultative Assembly |
| Native name | Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat |
| Legislature | Indonesia |
| House type | Bicameral joint session |
| Foundation | 1945 |
| Leader type | Speaker |
| Members | 711 (as of 2004–present composition varies) |
| Meeting place | DPR/MPR Building, Jakarta |
People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) is the constitutional highest state institution in Indonesia established in 1945, historically central to state ideology and leadership selection. Originating during the era of Sukarno and the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, the assembly has evolved through milestones such as the Guided Democracy period, the New Order under Suharto, and the post-1998 Reformasi reforms. Its role intersects with institutions like the People's Representative Council (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), the 1945 Constitution, and national leadership actors including the President of Indonesia and the Vice President of Indonesia.
The assembly was created after the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence and first convened under the 1945 constitution alongside bodies formed during the Indonesian National Revolution and transitional arrangements involving the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference. During the Guided Democracy era, the assembly assumed expansive mandate claims influenced by Sukarno’s relationships with the Indonesian National Party and Indonesian Communist Party. Under the New Order regime, the assembly functioned within authoritarian structures shaped by Suharto and institutions like the Golkar party, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia (TNI), and state security apparatuses. The 1998 Reformasi movement, the fall of Suharto, and constitutional amendments between 1999 and 2002 transformed the assembly’s composition and powers, redistributing authority to the People's Representative Council (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and the Constitutional Court of Indonesia.
The assembly convenes as a joint session of the People's Representative Council (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD). Membership historically included appointed members from societal groups such as Golkar, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and various civic organizations, but post-2004 reforms emphasized directly elected representation similar to systems of the United States Senate, the United Kingdom Parliament, and international comparators like the National People's Congress of China. Leadership consists of a Speaker and Deputy Speakers drawn from major political parties represented in the DPR, analogous to leadership arrangements in assemblies such as the Knesset and the Bundestag. Sessions are held in the DPR/MPR Building, with procedural rules influenced by precedents from assemblies like the National Assembly (France) and parliamentary practices from the Commonwealth of Nations traditions.
Constitutionally, the assembly’s functions include amending the 1945 Constitution, inaugurating the President of Indonesia and Vice President of Indonesia, and issuing broad state policy outlines reminiscent of declarations by assemblies such as the People’s Republic of China National People’s Congress and the Philippine Congress. Historically it issued state guidelines akin to the State Policy Guidelines during the New Order and exercised authority over national ideology tied to Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. After constitutional amendments, many executive oversight and legislative initiation powers were transferred to the DPR and adjudicatory powers to the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, altering its relationship to institutions like the Supreme Court of Indonesia and the Attorney General of Indonesia.
The assembly has a formal role in inaugurating the President of Indonesia and the Vice President of Indonesia and in providing constitutional legitimacy similar to ceremonies in the United States Congress and the Indian Parliament. Its joint-session character places it above but interdependent with the People's Representative Council (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD), creating institutional dynamics comparable to interactions among the Congress of the Republic of Peru, regional chambers like the Canadian Senate, and executive offices such as the Cabinet of Indonesia. During the New Order, the assembly’s relationship with the executive mirrored corporatist models seen in regimes like Argentina (Peronism) and influenced civil-military relations exemplified by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia.
Membership in the joint assembly derives from election to the DPR and the DPD, with electoral regulations shaped by laws and electoral commissions comparable to the General Elections Commission (KPU), and influenced by proportional representation systems similar to those used in Germany and New Zealand. Candidates must meet constitutional criteria akin to eligibility standards in legislatures such as the Australian House of Representatives and the European Parliament, including age, citizenship, and legal capacity, while mechanisms for recall and vacancy replacement resemble practices in bodies like the United States House of Representatives and the South African National Assembly.
The assembly retains a central constitutional role: initiating and approving amendments to the 1945 Constitution under procedures comparable to amendment rules in the United States Constitution and the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Amendments passed in the post-1998 period—affecting presidential terms, separation of powers, and the establishment of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia—demonstrate parallels with constitutional reform episodes in countries such as Turkey, Poland, and Mexico.
Critics have targeted the assembly for periods of excessive politicization during the Guided Democracy and New Order eras, drawing comparisons to critiques leveled at bodies like the Soviet of the Union and the National Assembly (Vichy France). Allegations included undue military influence by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Indonesia and dominance by Golkar, controversies echoed in analyses of corporatist and authoritarian legislatures such as Argentina (Peronism) and the Spanish Cortes during Franco. Post-Reformasi reforms reduced appointed memberships and increased transparency, yet debates persist over the assembly’s symbolic prominence, the balance between the DPR and the DPD, and the adequacy of safeguards observed in other constitutional democracies like Japan, Canada, and Brazil.
Category:Politics of Indonesia