Prof Guntang : Members of Indonesian House of Representatives Should Not Talk Carelessly

Prof Dr Gunawan Tangkilisan took a picture with his best friend, Dr Mulyono D Prawiro

GEMARI.ID-JAKARTA. Responding to recent university student and community demonstrations in major cities across Indonesia, particularly in Jakarta, Prof Dr Gunawan Tangkilisan, SE, S.Ikom, SSos, SH, MBA, MM, MSi, MH, a professor at Satyagama University, explained to the gemari.id team in Jakarta, that the demonstrations in Indonesia were demanding the dissolution of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Saturday (August 30, 2025).

Prof. Guntang, the nickname of Prof. Dr. Gunawan Tangkilisan, SE, S.Ikom, SSos, SH, MBA, MM, MSi, MH, said, "I once heard the late President Gus Dur say that members of the DPR are like kindergarteners. But he corrected me. Actually, being like kindergarteners means having pure hearts, that's the first thing. Second, demanding the dissolution of the DPR is not easy; there must be a specific procedure." They were elected by the people a year ago in their respective electoral districts, so if they wanted to, they wouldn't have to be re-elected for the next five years. So, there must be a mechanism for disbanding them. If they were, the government would be crippled, and there would be no DPR, he said.

Furthermore, public demands relate to the allowances for members of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), which are considered excessively high, while the people themselves still lack prosperity, and many are still poor. For example, online motorcycle taxi drivers and other workers, including laborers, feel jealous. They work with all their might and dedication, yet their income is only the minimum wage, while DPR members receive just Rp 50,000,000 per month in housing allowances. This is one of the causes, which the public believes is inequality and injustice.

Prof Dr Gunawan Tangkilisan took a picture with several professor and members of the Satyagama University Senate

Prof. Guntang reminded DPR members not to make careless comments. As DPR members, they must provide positive comments that soothe the public and avoid provocation. He urged security forces to be more persuasive, more focused, and more precise, to prevent victims like yesterday.

Prof. Guntang hopes that this demonstration will not drag on, and that the government and the House of Representatives will find a solution and how best to resolve this issue. Meanwhile, he appealed to the members of the House of Representatives, "I once read that 14 or 16 members of the House of Representatives donated their salaries to help the poor, to help in the regions. That's good. But we haven't heard about it anymore, so it's best to review the income of DPR members. Perhaps that will calm the demonstrators down," he hoped.

Not only that, Prof. Guntang emphasized, "I think now almost all over Indonesia have started to see demonstrations like that. That's what I'm worried about. We don't want our country to be in chaos. If the country is in chaos, we can't be like we are now: students can't go to campus, people can't earn a living. If the country is in chaos, like in other countries, people will have difficulty even finding food. We don't want that to happen. I don't think that should happen, so we must maintain the unity of the Republic of Indonesia," he stressed. @mulyono_dp