The Establishment Of DPA Is Considered An Indication Of The Return Of The New Order Policy

Photo caption: President Suharto witnessed the oath of three by the Chairman of Mahmakah Agung Umar Senoaji to thirty members of the Supreme Court Council (DPA) at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday (3/8/1978). (ANTARA PHOTO/Mawardi Muis/Sr/asf)

JAKARTA Constitutional law expert, Refly Harun, believes that the nomenclature of the Presidential Advisory Council should not need to be changed to the Supreme Advisory Council as contained in the revision of the Wantimpres Law.

According to him, the DPA had a negative connotation during the New Order era, where the DPA was often granted as the Grand Retirement Council because it was considered useless.

"If you still use the nomenclature of the Supreme Advisory Council, you are worried that people will think the same as the previous Supreme Advisory Council," he said, Sunday, July 14, 2024.

Refly explained that DPA in the New Order era was one of the state institutions abolished after the fourth amendment to the 1945 Constitution. Before it was abolished, the DPA was detailed in one separate chapter in the constitution, where the DPA was regulated to be equal to the president.

In addition, he also highlighted the elimination of restrictions on the number of members of Wantimpres. This makes it seem as if President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has given Prabowo Subianto an empty check to recruit people who have not been accommodated in the cabinet.

Refly revealed that the revision of the Wantimpres Law was one of many policies indicating the return of the New Order era. He gave an example of the plan to form a new ministry and the efforts of the central government to withdraw regional affairs.

For example, mining affairs are called a lot of corruption there. Instead of providing supervision and prosecution, the government actually takes over the process. Now we seem to repeat the New Order romanticism," he said.