Bambang Soesatyo: The MPR Annual Session Is Not Ceremonial

Speaker of the MPR Bambang Soesatyo in a speech at the MPR Annual Session (Live broadcast by Kompas TV)

JAKARTA - The Chairman of the MPR, Bambang Soesatyo, said that the implementation of the MPR Annual Session was not something ceremonial.

He said, this annual session has a very important meaning for state institutions, as a forum for upholding people's sovereignty, building communication, as well as a vehicle for fostering public trust through performance reports on the implementation of the constitutional authority and duties of each state institution as mandated by the NRI Year Constitution. 1945.

"In Article 151 paragraph (2) of the MPR Regulation Number 1 of 2019 concerning the Rules of the MPR, it is not a mere ceremonial agenda, but an important constitutional agenda with the essence of democracy based on the principles of constitutional democracy as stipulated in Article 1 paragraph (2) of the 1945 NRI Constitution that Sovereignty rests in the hands of the people, and is exercised according to the Constitution, "said Bambang in his speech, Junat, August 14.

He said, the MPR Annual Session has been held since the MPR 2014–2019 term, and has given its own color to the life of democracy and the Indonesian state administration.

"The MPR Annual Session occupies a high position as a constitutional convention that complements constitutional principles in the practice of state life," he said.

He added that the MPR Annual Session is also a vehicle for fostering democracy that guarantees the constitutional rights of citizens and the public to obtain information on the implementation of the duties of state institutions according to the mandate of the constitution.

Also, he added, it becomes a space for evaluation and reflection for the public on the implementation of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, the implementation of the principle of checks and balances, in order to realize a control and balance mechanism in the Indonesian constitutional system, "said the Golkar Party politician.