Puan: DPR Must Answer People's Criticism With Real Work

A number of members of the Indonesian House of Representatives attended the DPR RI Plenary Meeting at the parliament complex, Jakarta, Thursday (2/10/2025).

JAKARTA - The chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, asked the members of the council not to be allergic to public criticism, both conveyed smoothly and loudly. According to Puan, criticism must be answered with real work for the benefit of the people.

This was conveyed by Puan when reading the DPR RI Performance Report for the 2024 '2025 Session Year in a special plenary meeting commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the DPR RI at Nusantara II Building, Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Thursday.

"History will not record just how many laws we pass, or how much budget we manage, but whether every DPR RI decision really brings real benefits to the people," said Puan.

He emphasized that every member of the DPR is a representative of the people who were born from the people, were present for the people, and in the end had to return to the people. Therefore, Puan assessed that the mandate carried out by legislators was not a special privilege, but a responsibility that demanded dedication.

People's criticism can come in various ways, smooth, hard, even rude. You can go through demonstrations in front of the DPR, in remote areas, or through posts on social media. Whatever the form, we must hear all of that as the voice of the people," he said.

Puan also reminded DPR members to talk more about the people than themselves. "It is appropriate as representatives of the people, we are busy talking about the people, not the people who are busy talking about us," he said.

He added that the DPR's decisions did not only affect today but also determine the future of the nation. Therefore, every legislator is required to be highly committed, even willing to sacrifice personal interests in order to carry out state duties.

With full humility, Puan apologized to the public if the DPR's performance in the last year since the August 2024 inauguration was not perfect.

"On behalf of all members and leaders of the DPR RI, we apologize if we have not been fully able to carry out our duties as representatives of the people perfectly. We will make criticism and input a driving force for a better transformation," he concluded.