Special Open Forum Luncheon: Enhanced Power of the DPD (Senate) and the Future of Democracy in Indonesia
The Honorable Irman Gusman
Speaker, DPD (Regional Representatives Council)
Republic of Indonesia
On May 21 USINDO hosted the Honorable Irman Gusman, Speaker of Indonesia’s upper legislative body, the Regional Representatives Council (DPD). The DPD’s role in Indonesia’s legislature has recently been strengthened by the Constitutional Court. DPD Speaker Gusman has also recently been invited by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to participate in the Democratic Party Convention later this year, and to be a contender in the contests for the Democratic Party’s nomination for President of Indonesia in 2014.
Together, both DPD and DPR make up Indonesia’s parliament. Indonesia’s Constitutional Court recently granted the DPD authority to propose and deliberate bills in its mandated areas, which include regional autonomy, the relationship between central and local governments, and the management of natural resources. DPD Speaker Gusman will talk about the DPD’s strengthened role as a result of the Constitutional Court’s ruling. He will also share his views on the Democratic Party convention for the 2014 election.