People's Representative Council

The People's Representative Council (Indonesian: Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, DPR), sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia.

Together with the Regional Representative Council (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah, DPD), a second chamber with limited powers, it makes up a third chamber, the People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat, MPR). Currently there are 560 members, following the 2009 elections, all elected.

The house has been the subject of frequent public criticism due to perceived high level of fraud and corruption.

The term "Dewan" is the cognate of Persian "Divan" - the name of a high governmental body in a number of Islamic states.

History

Volksraad

In 1915, members of the Indonesian nationalist organisation Budi Utomo and others toured the Netherlands to argue for the establishment of a legislature for the Dutch East Indies, and in December 1916 a bill was passed to establish a Volksraad (People's Council). It met for the first time in 1918. Ten of its nineteen members elected by local councils were Indonesians, as were five of the nineteen appointed members. However, it had only advisory powers, although the governor-general had to consult it on financial matters. The body grew in size to 60 members, half of who were elected by a total of 2,228 people.