T

he recent resignation of Democratic Party lawmaker Theresia “Tere” Ebenna Ezeria Pardede from her seat in the House of Representatives appears to confirm what has been suspected all along — that celebrities do not belong in the House.

Tere, who was formerly a pop singer, said that she had to take care of her aging father and finish her master’s thesis.

The 31-year-old said she had been absent from House meetings and on May 21 tendered her resignation from the House’s Democratic Party faction.

During her tenure as a lawmaker, Tere has spent most of her time keeping her personal life in order. Her mother passed away in April and her marriage to her husband of 11 years ended in a divorce earlier this year.

Tere is not the only celebrity-turned-lawmaker who has been busy taking care of their private lives instead of the welfare of constituents.

Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) lawmaker Rachel Maryam Sayidina, a former movie star, recently made gossip tabloid headlines for her decision to marry for the second time after her divorce in 2010.

Despite her busy private life, it appears that Rachel could still find time to return to the movie business by directing.

She was quoted as saying by a number of entertainment news channels that in early May she spent her House recess period directing the film Firasat.

For some lawmakers, it is indeed difficult to leave the entertainment industry behind.

Last week, the House ethics council warned comedian-turned-legislator Eko Hendro Purnomo, or Eko Patrio of the National Mandate Party (PAN) over his frequent appearances on television.

Despite former celebrities’ lackluster, if not dismal, performance at the House, political parties continue to court them in joining their ranks.

The Golkar Party has said that it expected to recruit celebrities from the entertainment industry to join the race for the 2014 general election.

Golkar is now in talks with a number of celebrities, including soap opera star and television personality Desy Ratnasari, former Miss Indonesia Artika Sari Devi, rock band Dewa’s former frontman Ari Lasso and pop band KLA Project’s lead singer Katon Bagaskara.

Analysts said that recruiting entertainers indicated deep-seated problems within the country’s political parties.

Political analyst Philips J. Vermonte of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that political parties had done a poor job in their recruitment processes.

“The problem lies with the political parties that lack discipline. They should improve the party’s performance and its recruitment mechanism. If they want to recruit entertainers they should hire somebody who already has a political background,” he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Philips said that recruiting celebrities was not a wrong decision. “Ronald Reagan was a movie star, yet he could become a great president,” he said.

Sebastian Salang of Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi) concurred with Philips, saying that a thorough background check on entertainers was necessary before allowing them to join politics. “Recruiting celebrities is never a wrong decision if parties thoroughly check their preparedness and not just select them because they are celebrities,” he said. (fzm)