Mirror, won't you show them all their flaws?

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 06/13/2009 1:17 PM  |  National

Taking a page from the fairy tale of Snow White, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), the Initiative Institute and a host of other antigraft NGOs presented legislators at the House of Representatives with mirrors Friday that they said would speak only the truth.

ICW political corruption division researcher Abdullah Dahlan said he hoped the gift would make the legislators introspect on their poor performance during their five years in office.

"I think mirrors are more suitable for legislators than gold rings. The mirror is a symbol, which literally says the legislators need to reflect and to judge whether they have done their jobs properly," he said.

The legislative body's Household Affairs Committee recently confirmed that each legislator would receive a golden ring, engraved with the House logo, as a farewell gift once their terms end in September.

Abdullah said the legislators did not deserve the rings, which will reportedly cost the state Rp 5 billion (US$495,000).

"So many of them are involved in graft cases and sex scandals. It'd be better if the House allocated the budget to more important matters, like fast-tracking the corruption court bill's deliberations," he said.

The latest Transparency Inter-national survey found the House had retained its dubious honor as the country's most corrupt state institution.

House Speaker Agung Laksono recently said the handing out of the rings was a long-standing tradition at the legislature.

"Even though it is a tradition, one must start asking whether it is a good one," Abdullah said.

"Besides the fact the House has been named as the most corrupt institution, its legislators also have big enough salaries that they can afford to buy their own rings."

A report by the House of Representatives' Image Enforcer Coalition shows legislators' monthly salaries average Rp 46 million.

There are currently 550 serving House members, placing the cost of each ring at almost Rp 10 million.

University of Indonesia political expert Rocky Gerung said legislators should have shown more sensitivity toward their constituents and their collective image as money-grubbing opportunists.

"People's feelings about justice and fairness cannot be measured by the amount of legislation the House produces," he said.

"For legislators to receive golden rings, while their image is dirt, is not only inappropriate but is also a blatant mockery of the people's sense of justice."

However, Gayus Lumbuun, a legislator from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said the farewell gift had no relation at all with the legislators' overall performance.

"I admit the House's performance has been poor, but the rings are just memorabilia," he said. (hdt)

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