W

hile some lawmakers are rebuked for their costly foreign “study trips” during the legislative recess period — generally perceived as taxpayer-funded holidays — a few lawmakers claim they spend the time getting things done at home.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Rieke Diah Pitaloka said that in the past few weeks she had been busy advocating for the implementation of a universal social security system.

Since the beginning of the recess period on April 9, she claims to have met with people in Aceh, the Riau Islands and her hometown in West Java, speaking about health and labor issues.

Fellow PDI-P lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari said she conducted an impromptu inspection at the overcrowded Kerobokan prison in Bali and met with traditional artists in Tulungagung and Kediri in East Java, who she claimed were neglected by the local administration.

She also oversaw the recent mass arrival of 2,349 migrant workers deported from Saudi Arabia.

Eva said she tried to be accountable with her work trips by always filing a thorough report on her recess period activities.

Not all members of the House of Representatives did so, she claimed.

“There’s no incentive from the House leadership or parties for their members to report on their recess period activities,” Eva said. “There’s not even a clear regulation obligating members to make such reports.”

In the end, Eva said, it all depended on the conscience of each House member to report what they did during the period. “There is no reward and punishment system and no appreciation or recognition for those who actually write reports, which, in the end creates a lack of accountability in recess period activities.”

Indeed, the lack of accountability is an issue drawing massive criticism from the public and civil society organizations nationwide.

“The internal monitoring system at the House only goes as far as recess budget reports,” Uchok Sky Kadafi from the legislative watchdog Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency said.

“This is why we have never seen any results from all the so-called recess work trips,” he added. “Every time a recess period ends, there are no new issues to discuss in the following session.”

“The public’s inability to monitor House members’ recess activities is a huge problem in Indonesia,” Indonesian Parliament Watchdog Society senior researcher and coordinator Tommi Legowo told The Jakarta Post.

“The actual monitoring that can be done is very limited.”

The tendency by legislators to only hold meetings with members of their political party is also a huge problem, Tommi added. “There’s no way they can understand the real social problems in their respective regions if they don’t plunge themselves into the community,” he said.

House Commission I member Ahmad Muzani from the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) shares the sentiment.

“The current commission trips are too focused on formal meetings with local administrations that never touch on real social problems,” he said. “This is because House regulations do not allow informal meetings to be held on the trips.”

Eva acknowledged many House members took their post and all the perks it offered for granted. “However, I also believe that there are many legislators who truly work for the people,” she said. (mim)