Indonesia
President Prabowo Subianto is displayed on screens as he delivers his annual State of the Nation address ahead of the country's 81st Independence Day anniversary in front of the members of the legislative bodies during the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary session on Aug. 14 at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta. (Reuters/Stringer)
Constitutional experts have pushed back against efforts to revive long-defunct state policy guidelines, warning that the proposal risks restoring the total political authority that the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) had during the New Order era.Talks on the proposed state policy outlines (PPHN), a long-term national development framework intended to guide policymaking across successive presidential administrations, continued to resurface after MPR leaders presented President Prabowo Subianto with the latest draft earlier this month.
The plan gained fresh attention in the past few days, as MPR deputy speaker Eddy Soeparno said on the sidelines of the annual MPR plenary session last Friday that discussions were still ongoing following the meeting with Prabowo. Eddy said the MPR would conduct more studies to find the most suitable legal avenue for adopting the PPHN from three options they are currently considering: through a constitutional amendment, an MPR decree or legislation passed by the House of Representatives.
