The income of the House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat/DPR) members has increased to Rp 230 million per month, in addition to a housing allowance of Rp 50 million per month. Based on this raise, the government has allotted a budget reaching Rp 1.6 trillion solely for 580 DPR members throughout 2025. This rise in lawmakers’ income has triggered widespread public responses, especially considering that it is approximately 35.4 times the Rp 6.5 million monthly per capita income of an average Indonesian.
Alfath Bagus Panuntun El Nur Indonesia, a lecturer in the Department of Politics and Government at the UGM Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (Fisipol UGM), responded that this decision to raise the income of DPR members is not only insensitive but also financially questionable.
When compared to other democracies, such as the United States, and even countries like Singapore and the Philippines, the salary ratio between legislators and the minimum wage is not as disproportionately large.
“This situation is exacerbated when the economy is weak, people lack job opportunities and fair wages, and political figures lack role-model behaviour,” he explained on Tuesday (Aug. 26).
The income gap between the DPR and the public carries significant consequences.
According to the lecturer, this disparity can fuel public distrust toward the DPR or political parties themselves.
“Low individual capacity and DPR productivity can lead people to become disillusioned and disengaged from political processes, undermining the participatory democracy,” he emphasized.
He further pointed to the Aug. 25, 2025, demonstration in front of the DPR building as a clear reflection of citizens’ struggles, juxtaposed with a lack of empathy from political officials.
He asserted that, in the midst of widespread economic difficulty, the privileges of lawmakers and public officials should be curtailed more broadly.
He suggested that the government and the DPR could take cues from mature democracies, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, which have successfully reduced the privileges of public officials.
“Being a representative of the people should not be treated as a privileged profession; it should attract individuals who are driven by a genuine passion for public policymaking,” the lecturer remarked.
Additionally, he noted that the limited exposure afforded to legislative candidates during last year’s simultaneous general elections indicates that the public may not have adequately challenged elected DPR members to test their capacities and programmatic thinking.
Author: Alena
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Lintang Andwyna
Illustration: Tribunnews.com