What is the work of the DPR? Why is it always labeled bad?
Curiosity and great curiosity led this bespectacled student to visit for three months at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia,
which not all students can freely visit there.
Aldo Marfah is a student of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (FEB UMSU), majoring in Management in semester 8. At the end of his struggle to finish college, students who are members of the IM3 organization (Indonesian Malay Youth Association) have the opportunity to have a certified internship from the program. Independent Learning Independent Campus (MBKM) at the Secretariat General of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (Setjen DPR-RI) for three months, from September 1 to December 31, 2021.
The opportunity he got did not just come. Everything he got resulted from effort, prayer, and hard work. Based on his narrative, when the UMSU Public Relations team interviewed him when he decided to accept the interview and internship at the House of Representatives, he rejected at least five companies such as Shopee, DANA, and others who asked him to become an apprentice.
“I am very grateful, Sis, especially at UMSU, there is a Career Development and Alumni Center (CDAC). So UMSU provides and facilitates the procedures for registering for Certified Independent Study and Internships (MSIB),” he said excitedly.
Yes, Aldo’s way of finding information on certified internships under the Ministry of Education and Culture is quite unique. It all started with a class group, a friend of mine shared the address of the CDAC website, which explains how to register for the MBKM internship program. He said starting from the first step, such as creating an account, and all the steps for writing for an internship are already available on the CDAC UMSU website; just follow it.
When declared entitled to be one of the students from one hundred and fifty students throughout Indonesia who were selected as internships at the Secretariat General of the DPR-RI, Aldo started his apprenticeship adventure with a hybrid system, a combination of online and offline. In the first two weeks, he did an online internship in the city of Medan. After that, with full enthusiasm, he left for Jakarta to set foot in the Secretariat General of the DPR-RI.
“Arriving in Jakarta, the system is also hybrid because it maintains strict health protocols,” he said enthusiastically. He was grateful that all the departure costs had been covered and the living expenses during the internship at the House of Representatives were also met.
The man spent his internship not alone. He met other great students from Sabang to Merauke, such as UI, UGM, UNDIP, UNPAD, and so on. However, being chosen from among 17.000 students who were competing for an internship at the council house, Aldo’s determination was more vital in completing his apprenticeship.
“So 150 students were selected from Sabang to Merauke. In North Sumatra, there are only two, and one of them is a UMSU representative. Now, these 150 students are divided into 11 groups and two parts, namely the parliament trainee section and the data analyst. Incidentally, I was placed in group 7 (Zainul Arifin) in the parliament trainee section,” he explained.
In group 7, Aldo was accompanied by two of the best mentors, namely Atisa Praharini, SH, MH, as Middle Expert Legislation Designer and Slamet Widodo, SE, ME, as Middle Expert State Budget Analyst.
So what is the story of the people who are interns at the office of the people’s representative council? When asked about his duties, Aldo, a student who came from the people, enthusiastically told his experience during the internship. Every week, this student with a management education background has the opportunity to get to know each commission. Then, from week to week, he continues to be guided around commissions one to eleven to learn how the people’s representative council carries out its duties.
“So, every week, we are placed in different commissions, the first week in the first commission, the second week in the second commission, the third week in the budget, the fourth week at the Research Center. So we take turns every week,” he said, recalling his adventure at the end of 2021.
In addition to being invited to tour the commission, Aldo had the opportunity to be involved in debates and discussions regarding the PKS Bill, which was later ratified in January 2022, “When I was in the Legislature around the end of December, other interns and I participated in giving voices and small debates about PKS Plan. They really listen to our voices and small debates,” he said.
Another unforgettable experience from Aldo’s experience in visiting the House of the Representative Council was studying the budget system of the Constitution and getting to know the Research Center division (Puslit), which is full of issue gathering and enthusiasm for running work programs.
This trip has answered my curiosity about the DPR-RI. There was a lot of learning and new knowledge that he embraced. If in lectures he only knew Management, through this program, the man admitted that he had learned many things that he had never thought of before.
“I like it a lot because I’ve learned a lot about the law-making system starting from the stages, knowing what to discuss from the first meeting to the final plenary meeting, we really participate and know how the system makes Constitution. Then, knowing how the performance from commission 1 to commission 11. Even though I am from Management, I still have something to do with the budget,” he said when asked about his ups and downs.
It is impossible to taste sweet only a few times and salty and bitter like a dish. Likewise, with Aldo’s journey to complete his apprenticeship, although there are many exciting and memorable experiences, he admits that he has experienced some grief that can still be overcome.
“Are you sad? Hemm… This internship is at the Secretariat General of the DPR-RI every Sunday, changing to another commission. So I was only given a short time to get to know each commission. But, then, it’s fun, but it’s also sad. Right at the research center (Puslit), we are told to work on a brief issue in one day and have to present it the next day. I also worked on a research proposal within two days. Even though the deadline is really tight, Alhamdulillah, it can be done with the help of a mentor. After the presentation, the mentor gives input or revision,” he said, remembering that jobs in the DPR-RI often apply short deadlines.
Closing his story, Aldo gave tips to other students who wanted to succeed in joining the MBKM-certified internship program at the destination. Based on his experience, Aldo said that organizational activity plays a significant role and is one of the determinants of whether students are accepted for internships in a company.
“Message for MSIB fighters, list the organizations you have participated in your CV so that companies are interested. For example, I include some of my experiences in my CV, such as working in a notary public, Medan religious court, and Berastagi Tiara. So the company is really interested because seeing our CV is good. Then, during the interview, they were asked about what organizations were doing outside the campus. I happen to be part of the IM3I organization, so I’ll explain that,” he said, closing the story.
