Indonesia swears in ‘Ultraman’ and other MPs, as House Speaker’s re-election hints at stronger Prabowo coalition

JAKARTA: Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri’s daughter Puan Maharani was elected House Speaker for a second term on Tuesday (Oct 1), as Indonesia swore in 732 members of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) for a five-year term.

The assembly comprises 580 members from the House of Representatives (DPR) – the more powerful lower chamber – and 152 members of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), also known as the Senate.

The DPR is tasked with drafting new laws, approving the national budgets and overseeing the executive branch, while the upper chamber represents the country’s 38 provinces, focusing on regional issues.

Mdm Puan won unanimous support after being nominated by her party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which won the legislative elections in February with nearly one-fifth of parliamentary seats. 

Her re-election is significant in a House dominated by party members who are part of incoming president Prabowo Subianto’s coalition. 

The PDI-P remains the only party that has not indicated if it will serve as the opposition or join Mr Prabowo’s coalition, which now commands an 81 per cent supermajority in the DPR. 

News outlet The Jakarta Post reported that Mdm Puan’s re-election without significant objection raises speculation of the latter scenario. 

Her mother, PDI-P matriarch Mdm Megawati, is expected to meet with Mr Prabowo before the presidential inauguration on Oct 20 to discuss the possibility of joining his grand coalition.

MORE THAN HALF OF HOUSE MEMBERS ARE INCUMBENTS

In her acceptance speech, Mdm Puan urged the lawmakers to “improve public trust in the legislature” and “defend its honour and noble duties” in safeguarding democracy, news site Jakarta Globe reported.

However, more than half of the newly sworn-in House members are incumbents, casting doubt on prospect of legislative improvements. 

The DPR has been rated one of the most corrupt institutions in Indonesia in studies by organisations like Transparency International Indonesia (TII).

In May 2023, former coordinating minister for political, legal, and security affairs, Mr Mahfud MD, highlighted findings from TII regarding the country's decline in the corruption perception index.

Indonesia’s score deteriorated from 38 to 34, according to Mr Mahfud, partly due to corruption within the DPR. He further said that the corruption in the DPR is related to the lawmaking process.

In the final weeks of the previous term, the House backed down on ratifying changes to regional election rules only after large-scale protests in the capital Jakarta. 

Among other things, the rule changes would have paved the way for outgoing president Joko Widodo’s youngest child, Mr Kaesang Pangarep, to run in the gubernatorial election in the family’s home province of Central Java. 

WHO’S WHO IN THE NEW PARLIAMENT? 

Newcomers, celebrity power couples and those belonging to political dynasties are among the newly sworn-in members.

Twenty-five are celebrities, with two elected to the Senate and 23 to the DPR. They include comedians Komeng, Uya Kuya, Denny Cagur and Eko Patrio, as well as musicians Melly Goeslaw, Ahmad Dhani, Mulan Jameela, Once Mekel, actresses Nafa Urbach and Jihan Fahira and actors Verrell Bramasta and Tommy Kurniawan.

Mr Ahmad Dhani and Ms Mulan Jameela are married to each other and known as one of the most powerful couples in the Indonesian entertainment industry.

A new member that caught the eyes of many on Tuesday was Mr Jamaludin Malik from Central Java’s 2nd district.

The Golkar party politician “appeared” as the superhero Ultraman for the inauguration ceremony, although it was later revealed that he had hired a stuntman to wear the costume while he donned a formal suit.

Mr Jamaludin told news outlet Kompas it was to commemorate his experience running for the DPR.

“When I was campaigning, I wore the Ultraman costume, and I want to keep that spirit alive,” the businessman said.

The costume symbolises his dedication as a House member to fight crime and promote social justice, added the political newcomer, who told local media outlet Radar Kudus that he comes from a humble, non-political background. 

After completing high school, he worked as a porter at the market earning 30,000 rupiah (US$2) per day. 

He later secured a position at an insurance company, where he climbed the ranks to become an agency director before venturing into his current skincare business.

Meanwhile, 79 lawmakers are part of political dynasties, according to a review by Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi).

They include Mr Prabowo’s Gerindra party secretary-general Ahmad Muzani and his wife, Mdm Himmatul Aliyah, who are currently serving their fourth and second terms, respectively, in the DPR.

Another prominent figure is Ms Diah Pikatan Orissa Putri Haprani, the daughter of Mdm Puan, who is starting her first term in the House, representing Central Java’s 4th district.

As the number of political families in the House continues to rise, concerns about potential conflicts of interest have been raised.

Formappi senior researcher Lucius Karius, quoted by the Jakarta Post, said that the trend of political dynasties could hinder the legislative body's effectiveness. “This opens doors for more corruption and collusion,” he said.