Marzuki Alie has spent a month serving his term as the House of Representatives Speaker, the top job with the country's lawmaking body, and so far, he admits that he has had his ups and downs with both the media and the job.
Marzuki, who represents President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party, said at the House on Monday that he had began to slowly grasp the transformation from his role as secretary-general of his party to his much more demanding and crucial role at the House.
"Physically speaking, there is not much different between serving as the Democratic Party secretary-general and taking the role as the House speaker," he said.
"However, I began to learn that when it comes to political communication, there is huge difference. As the Democratic Party secretary-general, I only need to focus on the party's internal dynamics, but as the House speaker, I am required to be able to facilitate various interests of different political parties," he added.
Marzuki said that to adapt to the job, he consulted a lot with Golkar Party's senior politician and former House speaker, Akbar Tanjung.
Last Thursday Marzuki admitted his new job was more stressful. This made him a bit irritable with the media, especially when he was asked the same questions repeatedly.
"I am still very green in the political arena," he said on Thursday.
"I ask the media to understand when I turn emotional. My blood pressure has been increasing lately because of the workload," he said.
Marzuki has made decisions considered irrational, for example when he canceled several hearings between House commissions and ministers, including one between House Commission IX on Health and Welfare with Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih.
The chairwoman of the Commission IX, Ribka Tjibtaning from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said Marzuki was over-reacting. But he argued that his decision to cancel the meetings was oriented to House reform.
Law expert Irmanputra Sidin said that Marzuki had good intentions, but was not the best communicator.
Born Nov. 6, 1955, Marzuki, from Palembang, has a professional background. Marzuki spent 26 years working at PT Semen Baturaja but was once linked to a graft case while there.
The Palembang's District Prosecutors Office in South Sumatra named Marzuki as a suspect in Aug. 2004 for his alleged involvement in a graft case. But prosecutors did not find evidence and it was dropped.
Despite the fact that Marzuki had his name cleared, his appointment as House Speaker still raised some eyebrows among political observers, who mostly questioned his political capability as a rookie in the House. But then, he is not the only one.
