The disappearance of the ‘legislative model': Indonesian parliament's experience in response to Covid-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT The argument that choosing a legislative model will strengthen Parliament's checks and balances in an emergency has not been proven in Indonesia. Due to the high president’s constitutional legislative power, combined with his coalition supported by a majority of parliamentarians in Covid-19 emergency, left parliament to serve much of the executive’s agenda. This paper compares the law-making process in the parliamentary period before and during the pandemic. Extreme partisan power will allow the executive to control the legislative agenda and weaken Parliament's legislative power under the pretext of the Covid-19 pandemic emergency. The ‘legislative model’ is no longer viable; instead, various laws have been passed, unrelated to Covid-19.