Sahroni's step to reject the harvest salary attracts attention, observers ask for consistency

JAKARTA - The action of member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Ahmad Sahroni who does not receive salary and distributes it through the Kitabisa digital platform has reaped responses.

Political observer from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Nicky Fahrizal said that Sahroni's steps still need to be tested for consistency, commitment, and purpose.

"We wait and we control whether this action is a form of attitude and consistent partisanship in the long term to the people or just a symbolic step," Nicky told wartawa, Tuesday, March 11.

Nicky admitted that Sahroni's move to donate all his salary and allowances to a charity was quite surprising. Because, almost no politician dares to do it. However, according to Nicky, Sahroni must prove that this action is not just an effort to clean up the image after the non-active sanctions due to ethical violations.

This is because the recovery of the image after the violation of public trust is not enough with political gimmicks. But with the action of defending the people when dealing with government policies.

"Restoring the legitimacy and public trust in members of the DPR requires real proof. This is closely related to the independence of parliamentarians in guarding public aspirations. Especially when dealing with government policies," he said.

He assessed that Sahroni's initiative emerged as a response to recent political dynamics. Especially after the wave of public unrest or civil unrest at the end of August. "Initiatives through donation platforms such as Kitabisa do open up public oversight, but that does not necessarily remove public skepticism," he said.

Nicky emphasized that there are at least three main prerequisites that need to be met in order for public confidence in politicians to recover. First, an increase in advocacy for public policies that truly benefit the community.

"Second, adjusting the lifestyle of politicians so that they are more empathetic to the social-economic conditions of the community. Third, minimize the approach that is a political gimmick and replace it with firmness in voicing political positions," he said.

According to Nicky, consistency in carrying out these three things is the real test for the integrity and civic virtue of a Sahroni. Therefore, Nicky hopes that Sahroni does not stop at the action of refusing salary.

"Transparency and accountability remain an important factor so that every initiative taken by public representatives is not only seen as a political communication strategy, but truly as a form of commitment to public interests," he said.