Jakarta (ANTARA) - Government officials must not be oversensitive to public criticism that is essential in the nation-building process, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo stated.

"Perceive (public criticism) as a vitamin to improve our body," Soesatyo noted as per the statement received here, Thursday.

The MPR RI speaker's statement was delivered while receiving mass organisation Defenders of the Unity of Indonesia Homeland's (PEKAT-IB's) executive committee chairperson Markoni Koto and member Lisman Hasibuan at the official residence here.

Soesatyo stated that residents or mass organizations could criticise him, as in a democratic country, anyone can criticise government officials to correct them.

"I am glad there is someone, who cares enough to correct officials, who are not fulfilling what their position mandates," he remarked.


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Soesatyo believes if residents do not remind government officials through criticism, then he fears that they would commit other acts not mandated by the people and the nation.

Criticism is an important medium to ensure government officials work on the right track and government institutions improve their work, he affirmed.

"Nevertheless, we expect criticism to be constructive and based on correct data," the MPR RI speaker remarked.

The mass organization earlier reported Soesatyo to the parliament's Board of Honour (MKD) over suspected ethics violation due to his statement that allegedly supported Police Inspector General Ferdy Sambo implicated in the case of the murder of Brigadier Yosua Hutabarat.

PEKAT-IB executive committee member Hasibuan stated that his organization's decision to report to the Board of Honour aims to express criticism and inquire about specific information from the committee.

After the discussion with the parliament's MKD, the organisation's executives understood the chronology of Soesatyo's statement and decided to revoke the complaint against the MPR RI speaker, he stated.

"Hence, I express my apology, and we decide to revoke the complaint to the MKD," Hasibuan remarked.


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Translator: M Zulfikar, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Suharto
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