JAKARTA - The role of DPR members in participating in neutralizing public aspirations conveyed through social media must indeed be done. With a large following, DPR members also have influence on social media, in addition to of course the influence of positions as representatives of the people.
"If there is a public issue, where the people are wronged or try to be criminalized by the apparatus, members of the DPR can participate in preventing it by participating in going viral. This is an effective way when meetings to discuss the issue still have to be hampered by time, it still has to be scheduled, and so on," said Political Communication Analyst Silvanus Alvin, Friday, April 28.
The constitutional task of DPR members is to convey the aspirations of the people through parliamentary channels. However, when the parliamentary path is deemed too bureaucratic, it takes enough time to convey the aspirations of the people, the role of DPR members in social media (non-parliamentary routes) can be very effective in defending the interests of the people.
"So if from information on social media and information obtained from the network of members of the DPR in the field there are cases of people being wronged or getting injustice, then members of the DPR can immediately voice it on social media to save the people immediately," he said.
"It was only after the first action was carried out that parliamentary meetings could be held to deepen the case, and how to prevent similar cases from happening again," continued Alvin.
According to the lecturer at the Faculty of Communication, Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), the influence of DPR members on social media is clearly very different from that of social media influencers in general. Because, said Alvin, members of the DPR have a big influence and also the right to immunity which makes it impossible for them to receive legal reports related to uploads, for example with the snares of the Electronic Information and Transaction Law (UU ITE) or Law number 11 of 2008.
If influencers or ordinary people want to upload criticism related to the behavior of the apparatus, for example, usually they will think long about the number of public criticisms which actually lead to a legal process or criminalization for critics. Well, if DPR members have a big impact and are immune from ITE reports like that," he said.
The immunity rights of DPR members are contained in Law No. 17 of 2014 concerning MD3. In this regulation, DPR members cannot be prosecuted in front of the court because of the statements, questions, and/or opinions they put forward either verbally or in writing in DPR meetings or outside of DPR meetings relating to the functions and authorities and duties of the DPR.
"So if the DPR's immunity rights are used for the greatest benefit of the people, and not only for himself, then this will receive high appreciation from the people," explained Alvin.
He added that the role of DPR members on social media who often voice the interests of the people will also narrow the gap in aspirations that have been perceived by some circles of society. By utilizing social media, according to Alvin, the distance between council members and the people he represented is getting closer.
"So the assumption that members of the DPR are distant or do not pay attention to the interests of the people can be eradicated by the role of members of the DPR on social media which is of the interest of the people," said the England University of Leicester master graduate.
"Especially if their work in Senayan or the electoral district shows consistency with their posts on social media, the DPR will definitely win the hearts of the people," added Alvin.
There are several members of the DPR who have a considerable influence on social media. One of them is Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the DPR RI Ahmad Sahroni who often highlights various legal issues that occur in the community.
In addition to making his social media accounts to publish his work performance, Ahmad Sahroni often accommodates information from the public regarding cases that need attention. Sahroni also did not hesitate to mention social media accounts of law enforcement agencies and continued to oversee the case until it was finished.
Sahroni also dared to express his criticism as a form of supervisory function for members of the DPR. On average, the incident that 'earned' Sahroni became a big concern, even quickly responded to by interested parties.
For example, when Sahroni asked the police to stop the legal case of Tiktoker Bima Yudho Saputro criticizing the Lampung Provincial Government. He also closely oversees the case of mistreatment of Cristalino David Ozora by the son of former Director General of Taxes (DJP) of the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) Mario Dandy Satrio.
Most recently, Sahroni highlighted the case of abuse by an official's son at the North Sumatra Police, up to the fat account of the police official. He also criticized the actions of arrogant TNI personnel on the road and also enlivened the case of abuse that befell doctors in West Lampung.
A number of members of the DPR have also used social media as a place for complaints from the public, especially for their constituents and cases related to their work commission.
For example, Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the House of Representatives, Charles Honoris, who oversees cases of acute kidney failure in children by coordinating directly with the victim's parents. Through social media, he also oversees the case of a household worker (PRT) who was abused by his employer.
Then there is also Member of Commission I DPR Hillary Brigitta Lasut who comes from the North Sulawesi electoral district I. He often responds to reports from the public submitted via social media and oversees his case. Like the fraud case that happened to migrant workers from Minahasa in the Philippines. The youngest member of the DPR even helped the victim's return.
Another member of the DPR who also uses social media to work is Rieke Diah Pitaloka. Through his social media account, the member of Commission VI of the DPR monitors the criminal case of trafficking in persons (TPPO) that befell Indonesian migrant workers (PMI) from Karawang named Dede Asiah. Rieke also went directly to advocate.
Alvin also praised the members of the DPR who used various means to support their work responsibilities, including social media. Especially for members of the DPR who continue to guard the aspirations of the community until they get a way out.
"The most important thing is not only to go viral and finish on social media but also to be followed up until a solution is created," said Alvin.
On the other hand, the author of the book Political Communication in the Digital Age: from Big Data, Influencer Relations & Strength of Celebrities, To Tawa Politics also appealed to members of the DPR to continue to greet the people directly. Alvin said that the combination of members of the DPR to the field by utilizing social media would be very effective in achieving the goals of people's welfare.
Social media is used as medium. However, what is more important is to go down to meet the people. If the meeting activities are immortalized and uploaded to social media, the implications will be good," he concluded.
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