Journal of Law and Legal Reform
Vol. 7 No. 2 (2026): April, 2026

Legal Reconstruction of Strengthening the Function of Regional Representation in Indonesia

Hananto Widodo (Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia)
Muh. Ali Masnun (Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia)
Intan Lovisonnya (Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia)
Dicky Eko Prasetio (Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia)
Noviyanti Noviyanti (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Dong Hwa University, Hualien, Taiwan)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Apr 2026

Abstract

Indonesia has two legislative bodies namely the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and the House of Representatives (DPR). Only the DPD’s oversight authority remains weak. This research focuses on analyzing the oversight function of the Regional Representative Council using a comparative law approach. It is a normative legal study with conceptual, legislative, and comparative approaches. The research findings confirm that the legal status of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Indonesia’s current constitutional system is still considered weak and not equal to that of the House of Representatives (DPR). The DPD’s limited oversight function, confined to specific areas such as regional autonomy and regional formation, and the imbalance of power in the bicameral system, have resulted in the DPD’s strategic role as a regional representative at the national level not being optimal. Comparative studies with bicameral systems in countries like the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Kingdom show that both chambers in a representative system of government must be given equal authority to ensure an effective system of checks and balances. Therefore, this study proposes the need to strengthen the authority and capacity of the DPD thru legal reform, both thru amendments to the 1945 Constitution with several important indicators that are strengthened, such as: the right of interpellation, the right of inquiry, the right to express an opinion, the right of subpoena, the right of impeachment, and involvement in the national budget process.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

jllr

Publisher

Subject

Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice

Description

The Journal seeks to disseminate information and views on matters relating to law reform, including developments in case and statute law, as well as proposals for law reform, be they from formal law reform bodies or from other institutions or ...