The Right of Inquiry of The House of Representatives in the Constitutional System: Between The Supervisory Function and The Potential for Abuse

The right of inquiry is one of the constitutional rights of the House of Representatives as regulated in Article 20A paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution and the MD3 Law as an instrument of supervision over the government. After the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, the position of the House of Representatives has been strengthened as an important actor in the checks and balances mechanism. However, in practice, the use of the right of inquiry often raises debate, both as a form of constitutional supervision and as a political bargaining tool that has the potential to be abused. This article aims to analyze the position of the DPR's right of inquiry in the Indonesian constitutional system, identify its function and relevance to democracy, and examine its potential abuse in contemporary political practice. This research uses  a normative juridical  approach with a qualitative analysis method through literature review, laws and regulations, Constitutional Court decisions, and SINTA and Scopus indexed scientific publications for the 2020–2025 period. The results of the study show that normatively, the right of inquiry has a strong and relevant legal basis to strengthen the principles of accountability and transparency of governance. However, regulatory weaknesses, especially related to the follow-up of investigation results, make the effectiveness of the right of inquiry often limited. In addition, the dominance of the political majority in parliament and the tendency to politicize make the right of inquiry more often used as a political instrument than as an instrument of substantive supervision. In conclusion, the urgency of strengthening the right to inquiry lies in regulatory reform, strengthening the ethical mechanism of the House of Representatives, and increasing civil society participation, so that this right truly functions as a democratic instrument to prevent abuse of power

1. REFERENCE
2. Feulner, F. (2024). The Indonesian House of Representatives and its role during democratic regression. The Theory and Practice of Legislation, 12, 229–251. DOI: 10.1080/20508840.2024.2351763
3. Hermanto, A.-A. (2024). (Article on MK Decision No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023). The Theory and Practice of Legislation. DOI: 10.1080/20508840.2024.2316507
4. Razak, A., & Amin, F. (2023). Constitutional inquiry rights in evaluating Constitutional Court decisions: A case study of MK Decision No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023. Rechtsidee, 12(2). DOI: 10.21070/jihr.v12i2.1012
5. Haryani, R., & Sumiyanto, O. (2023). Juridical analysis of the right of inquiry of the House of Representatives in performing the supervisory function. Awang Long Law Review, 6(1). DOI: 10.56301/awl.v6i1.797
6. Panggabean, D. (2022). Implementation of the right of inquiry of the House of Representatives in controlling government policies. Nommensen Journal of Legal Opinion, 3(1). DOI: 10.51622/njlo.v3i1.609
7. Fahmi, S. (2020). Perspective of constitutional law: The right of inquiry of People’s Representative Environment. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 469, 012113. DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/469/1/012113
8. Herlinanur, N., Pangestoeti, W., Putra, A., & Rahim, R. (2024). The role of the amendment of the 1945 Constitution in strengthening the check and balance system. Research Review: Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal, 3(1). DOI: 10.54923/researchreview.v3i1.79
9. Nurhidayati, D., Denna, K., Widyaningrum, N., Aulia, P., Putri, R., Prayudha, T., & Hadji, K. (2024). Juridical analysis of the right of inquiry of the House of Representatives in the scope of election disputes. Journal of Public Relations, 2(2). DOI: 10.59581/jrp-widyakarya.v2i2.3188
10. Indrastuti, L., Pradoto, W., Udjiwati, L., & Uud, D. (2024). Democratic political law in Indonesia after amendments to the 1945 UUD. Journal of Law and Sustainable Development, 12(1). DOI: 10.55908/sdgs.v12i1.2310
11. Mz, H. (2022). The involvement of the House of Representatives in filling the positions of Supreme Court Justice and Constitutional Judge. GANEC SWARA, 16(1). DOI: 10.35327/gara.v16i1.285
12. Mahendra, M., Burlian, P., & Yuswalina, Y. (2021). Analysis of fiqh siyasah on the role of the House of Representatives in Indonesian constitutional law. Muqaranah, 5(2). DOI: 10.19109/muqaranah.v5i2.10511
13. Tumewu, A., Runtunuwu, Y., & Simandjuntak, R. (2025). About the position of the right of inquiry in the constitutional system of the Republic of Indonesia. Equator: Journal of Education and Social Humanities, 5(2). DOI: 10.55606/khatulistiwa.v5i2.5866
14. Said, A. R., & Ahmad, S. (2024). The right of inquiry in strengthening the supervisory function of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia. Binamulia Law, 13(2), 361–376. DOI: 10.37893/jbh.v13i2.950
15. Sumartini, S., & Arifin, J. (2020). The function of the right of inquiry of the House of Representatives to conduct an investigation into the implementation of the law. Journal of Justice, 6(1), 23–44. DOI: 10.31943/yustitia.v6i1.97
16. Ng, J., & Kurniawan, Y. (2022). The Parliament and cooperative oversight of the Indonesian armed forces: Why civil–military relations are stable but still in transition. Armed Forces & Society. DOI: 10.1177/0095327X221137281
17. Chandranegara, I. S., & Cahyawati, D. P. (2023). Conflict of interest prevention clause in the constitution: The study of the Indonesian Constitution. Heliyon, 9(3), e14679. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14679
18. Huda, N., Heriyanto, D. S. N., & Wardhana, A. F. G. (2021). The urgency of the constitutional preview of law on ratification of international treaty by the Constitutional Court in Indonesia. Heliyon, 7(9), e07886. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07886
19. Anggono, B. D., Prabowo, R. A., & Mardika, Y. N. (2023). Constitutional Court and the past conflicts in post-authoritarian Indonesia. Constitutional Review, 9(1), 77–108. DOI: 10.31078/consrev913
20. Pratama, S. M., Rompis, A. E., & Nurzaman, R. A. (2021). The authority of the PTUN in examining the President's letter on the Job Creation Bill and its implications. Legal Treatise, 17(1), 11–25. DOI: 10.30872/risalah.v17i1.516
21. Juanda, & Ogiandafiz. (2022). Legal politics of the formation of regional regulations based on positive law. Jurnal Dinamika Hukum, 22(3), 494–505. DOI: 10.20884/1.jdh.2022.22.3.3112
22. Nurlette, P. (2020). The Corruption Eradication Commission is the object of the DPR's right of inquiry. SCIENCE, 26(1), 75–88. DOI: 10.47268/sasi.v26i1.213
23. Muin, S. A. (2020). The position of the right of inquiry as a supervisory function of state administration. Poverty Law Journal, 2(2), 113–122. DOI: 10.35877/454RI.kalabbirang134