Dear Parliament Members, Stop Hurting People

JAKARTA – The inconsistency between the performance of President Prabowo Subianto and several ministers and members of the House of Representatives (DPR), according to political observer Pangi Syarwi Chaniago, has created controversy in the country.

The performance of ministers in the Red and White Cabinet (KMP) and the DPR has recently been under increasing public scrutiny. This has led to three demonstrations in Jakarta within a week: on Monday (August 25, 2025) and on two consecutive days on August 28-29.

Students, civil society organizations, and even laborers have taken to the streets. Their demands are the same: a cut in the salaries of DPR members, which have reportedly seen a significant increase following various allowances, including a housing allowance of IDR 50 million per month, although this has been confirmed to only apply until next October.

The public deems these triple-digit salaries incommensurate with their performance, especially considering the controversial statements made by members of parliament that have hurt the public.

President's Burden

Political observer and Executive Director of Voxpol Research and Consulting, Pangi Syarwi Chaniago, believes that the behavior of officials who frequently make controversial policies and statements actually tarnishes the president's leadership, which he considers decisive and visionary.

"President Prabowo Subianto continues to demonstrate decisive, visionary leadership and a commitment to the people. However, while the President is striving to uphold Indonesia's authority, some ministers and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) are busy stirring up controversy through controversial statements and policies that unsettle the public," Pangi said in a statement received by VOI.

Furthermore, according to Pangi, while Prabowo received international recognition for successfully halting the payment of bonuses to directors and commissioners of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) whose amounts were deemed unreasonable, the president's aides and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) continued to stir up public unrest.

"In contrast to Prabowo, ministers and the House of Representatives (DPR) can become a burden on the president. Instead of supporting the president's work, several ministers and DPR members are actually causing chaos," he said.

He cited several examples of controversial policies, such as the housing allowance of Rp 50 million per month, a DPR member's statement complaining about traffic jams on the way from his home in Bintaro to Senayan, and the PPATK's policy of blocking idle accounts, which caused unrest.

This doesn't include other controversial statements from several ministers, such as Health Minister Budi Gunadi, who was deemed insensitive with his comments "size 33 pants quickly die" and "a salary of Rp 15 million is guaranteed to be healthy and smart," which also tarnished the government's image.

The controversy peaked when DPR member Ahmad Sahroni made an inappropriate remark labeling those who proposed the dissolution of the DPR. Pangi said, however, that officials are clearly not allowed to challenge the people's voice.

Given the series of blunders from ministers and DPR members, Pangi believes they are not helping the president's work, but instead becoming a burden with their inconsequential comments and policies.

"The House of Representatives (DPR) is busy engaging in polemics. The action of DPR members dancing in the plenary session room went viral and drew criticism, as it occurred amidst the people's hardship," he explained.

"All of these phenomena demonstrate the ministers' lack of sensitivity to the people's aspirations and appear to be challenging them," Pangi added.

Insensitive Officials

Therefore, he advised state officials that the people do not need officials busy flexing, dancing, or making nonsense comments.

Pangi emphasized that the people need officials who are sensitive to suffering, think before speaking, focus on work, and not those who create drama and then apologize.

"Stop polemicizing. Stop hurting the people. Listen to the people's voices, don't ignore their suffering," Pangi said.

"I want to say this: as long as the president consistently sides with the people, the people's sympathy and empathy will always be with him. No matter how strongly the oligarchy opposes him, the people will defend their leader," he continued.

Similarly, Fernanso Emas, Executive Director of the Indonesian Political House, stated that the wave of demonstrations in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) Building was due to the people's representatives' insensitivity to the people's suffering.

"This is the result of a poor and greedy mentality that wants to enjoy the fruits of the people's labor without caring about what the people experience," said Fernando Emas.

The DPR should listen to the people's aspirations, one of which is rejecting the fantastic allowances for DPR members, instead of mocking critics.

If they continue to pawn off the people's voices, it's possible the wave of demonstrations could grow even larger, according to Fernando.

"It's very possible that similar actions will continue with even larger crowds. DPR members must not forget the events of 1998, when the masses successfully occupied the DPR building," he concluded.