People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia

People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia
Name	People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia
Native name	Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat
Established	1960s (constitutional roots 1945)
House type	Bicameral-supervisory assembly
Members	711 (varies historically)
Meeting place	MPR/DPR Building, Jakarta

People's Consultative Assembly of Indonesia is the supreme deliberative body established under the Constitution of Indonesia with a mandate to set guidelines for state policy and to amend the Constitution of Indonesia. It sits alongside the Regional Representative Council (Indonesia), the House of Representatives (Indonesia), and the President of Indonesia in the state structure, and its sessions have shaped landmark decisions from the New Order (Indonesia) era through the Reformasi period. Major sessions involved figures such as Sukarno, Suharto, B. J. Habibie, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Abdurrahman Wahid.

History

The assembly traces origins to the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia drafting and the early Indonesian National Revolution, with institutional precedents in the BPUPK and PPKI. During the Guided Democracy of Sukarno the assembly acquired prominence alongside bodies like the Provisional People's Consultative Assembly and the Supreme Advisory Council. Under Suharto's New Order (Indonesia), the assembly became a center for state ideology alongside Pancasila campaigns and the Golkar machine, interacting with the Army of the Republic of Indonesia leadership and security agencies. The 1998 Reformasi movement led to amendments to the Constitution of Indonesia and structural reforms affecting the assembly's role, with consequential sessions during the transitional presidencies of B. J. Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati Sukarnoputri, and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Composition and Membership

Membership historically combined elected members of the House of Representatives (Indonesia) and appointed delegates from functional groups, Regional Representative Council (Indonesia), and non-structural organizations such as Golkar, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, and Prabowo's party affiliates. Reforms introduced after Reformasi redefined seats, separating the Regional Representative Council (Indonesia) and reducing appointed delegate blocs associated with ABRI and political parties. The assembly's size has varied; prominent members have included politicians like Amien Rais, jurists from Constitutional Court of Indonesia, and regional leaders from provinces such as Aceh, Papua, and West Papua.

Powers and Functions

Under the amended Constitution of Indonesia, the assembly holds powers to inaugurate and impeach the President of Indonesia, amend the constitution, and issue broad state policy guidelines, interacting with institutions like the Supreme Court of Indonesia through constitutional framework changes. Historically the assembly promulgated the State Policy Guidelines and issued mandates affecting the Bank Indonesia autonomy debates and the Corruption Eradication Commission reforms. Its prerogatives have intersected with national crises such as the 1997 Asian financial crisis and security responses invoking the Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia and National Counter Terrorism Agency (Indonesia).

Leadership and Organization

The assembly's leadership has featured a chairman and deputy chairmen drawn from major parties including Golkar, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, Democratic Party, and newer forces like NasDem. Chairpersons such as Amien Rais and Zulkifli Hasan have presided over plenary sessions; organizational units include committees analogous to those in the House of Representatives (Indonesia) and liaison structures with the Regional Representative Council (Indonesia), the Ministry of Home Affairs (Indonesia), and regional governors from provinces including Yogyakarta Special Region.

Legislative and Constitutional Role

Although not a standing legislature like the House of Representatives (Indonesia), the assembly historically set the State Policy Guidelines that framed legislative agendas affecting laws such as the Law on Regional Autonomy (1999) and constitutional amendments that established the Constitutional Court of Indonesia and reformed the Presidential system of Indonesia. It has overseen transitions including the adoption of direct presidential elections, impacting electoral bodies like the General Elections Commission (Indonesia) and reforming electoral laws administered in provinces such as Jakarta and West Sumatra.

Relationship with Other State Institutions

The assembly's relations with the President of Indonesia have ranged from cooperative inaugurations to confrontational impeachment processes involving figures like Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri alliances. It coordinates with the House of Representatives (Indonesia) on statutory frameworks and with the Regional Representative Council (Indonesia) on regional representation issues, while interactions with judicial bodies such as the Constitutional Court of Indonesia clarify constitutional interpretations. During security eras it interfaced with the National Police of Indonesia and Army of the Republic of Indonesia leadership, and in policy crises it has engaged agencies like the Ministry of Finance (Indonesia) and Bank Indonesia.

Criticism and Reforms

Critics have targeted the assembly for past dominance by Golkar and military-appointed delegates, for issuing sweeping State Policy Guidelines seen as undemocratic during the New Order (Indonesia), and for opaque procedures cited by activists from Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia and academic commentators from University of Indonesia and Gadjah Mada University. Reforms post-Reformasi eliminated appointed military seats and separated the Regional Representative Council (Indonesia)], prompting debates over further changes advocated by civil society groups such as Transparency International Indonesia and policy institutes like CSIS (Indonesia).

Notable Sessions and Decisions

Notable plenaries included the 1960s sessions under Sukarno that consolidated Guided Democracy, the 1998–1999 rapid sessions that oversaw Suharto's resignation and B. J. Habibie's succession, the 1999–2002 sessions that led to constitutional amendments and the creation of the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, the 2001 MPR session that removed Abdurrahman Wahid, and post-2004 sessions that ratified direct presidential election reforms affecting figures like Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Joko Widodo, and Prabowo Subianto. Sessions have also addressed regional autonomy in Aceh after the Aceh peace process and special autonomy statutes concerning Papua.

Category:Politics of Indonesia