The People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the smallest at the House of Representatives, will seek new legislation on political lobbies, in a bid to wipe out corruption in parliament, says a legislator.
Syarifuddin Sudding, from House Commission III on legal affairs, said his party would discuss with the committee whether the House could take the initiative in drafting the bill or ask the executive branch to prepare the draft.
"This must be given the utmost priority as the House and the Regional Representatives Council being their five-year terms in office," he said Friday.
He added such a law was needed in the new democratic era to help improve the House's accountability and the quality of its legislation, as well as increase its scrutiny of the government.
Al Amien Nasution from United Development Party (PPP) and Yusuf Emir Feisal, from the National Awakening Party (PKB), as well as Abdul Hadi from the National Mandate Party (PAN), are among many legislators jailed for taking bribes.
Many other former legislators, such as Hamka Yandhu from the Golkar Party, Endin J. Soefihara from PPP and Dudhie Makmun Murod from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), have been named suspects in graft cases.
One of the high-profile cases in which the legislature is currently mired is the election of Miranda Goeltom as Bank Indonesia senior deputy governor in 2004, in which scores of legislators were believed to have been bribed to vote for her.
A recent study by Transparency International for its 2009 Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) named the House as the most corrupt public institution in the country.
A study by the Indonesian Parliamentary Watchdog (Formappi) shows 18 percent of the 183 laws passed by the previous House have been submitted for review to the Constitutional Court.
Formappi's study also points out the most of the rest of the laws were related with political matters rather than public interests.
Hanura's proposed legislation is supported by other legislators and regional representatives who claim they are committed to undoing parliament's tarnished image.
"I completely support the drafting of such a law to ensure the House's transparency with respect to lobbies and selecting state officials," said Commission III chairman Benny Kabur Harman.
Ruhut Sitompul, from the Democratic Party, said he believed all aspects of lobbying that related to financial matters needed to be made transparent.
"These include lobbying on budgetary policy, selection of public officials and discussion of bills, which need to be regulated for transparency and accountability," he said.
Golkar's Azis Syamsuddin said he also supported the idea of a law on lobbies.
"The idea on a new law on political lobbies is a good one, we need also another law on reverse verification," he said.
Hidayat Nur Wahid, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said legislators' spirit and strong commitment to revamping the House had to be unwavering in order to regain the people's trust in the legislature. (hdt)
