Members of the House of Representatives participate in a plenary session at the parliament building in Jakarta, Tuesday, June 4, 2024. (Antara Photo)

JakartaGlobe-Sept 30

More than half of the 580 elected House of Representatives members are newcomers who will be part of a parliament where seven of eight incumbent parties have expressed support for the upcoming presidency of Prabowo Subianto. The House will welcome 360 debutants during the inauguration on Tuesday. “New representatives mean new spirit and fresh ideas. This country cannot be managed single-handedly but we need collaboration,” elected legislator Atalia Praratya said on Sunday as she attended an event at the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) in Jakarta with fellow elected lawmakers for pre-duty discussions about national values. Atalia, who will work representing West Java, said the nine-day event allows would-be lawmakers to exchange views and ideas about the country’s directions in five years to come.

“Sometimes our discussions were limited by time due to the many ideas and aspirations we wanted to articulate,” she added.  Nafa Urbach, newly-elected lawmaker from Central Java, echoed her views, saying she can’t wait to serve and further the interests of her constituents. “I’m very enthusiastic about beginning my duty because there are so many young faces elected as House members,” Nafa said. “The momentum has come for the younger generation to implement their creative ideas for the betterment of this nation.” Read more at: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/firsttimers-make-up-majority-of-house-members