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n opinion poll conducted by the Jakarta-based think tank Sugeng Sarjadi Syndicate (SSS) found that the House of Representatives has lost its credibility and is deemed to be the most corrupt institution in the country.

The survey, published on Saturday, found that 47 percent of respondents considered the House, the country’s most corrupt institution.

The survey interviewed 2,192 respondents in the country’s 33 provinces between May 14 and May 24.

“This survey simply confirms what has been widely believed by the respondents that it has become common knowledge that most graft suspects prosecuted by the Corruption Eradication Committee (KPK)are House members,” SSS researcher Ari Nurcahyo said.

Respondents in the survey were also of the opinion that lawmakers did not represent their interests and joined the House only to further their individual interests.

Close to 62 percent of respondents said that politicians entered the House only to make a living as opposed to 21 percent who believed that lawmakers strove for their interests.

The survey also found that the tax office came second in the list of the least-trusted institutions, with 21.4 percent of the respondents giving their opinion that it was the most corrupt institution.

The National Police came in third place with 11.3 percent.

A number of lawmakers have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in graft cases.

The Jakarta Corruption Court convicted several politicians in the Bank Indonesia vote-buying scandal, including Engelina Pattiasina, Muhammad Iqbal, Budiningsih, Ni Luh Mariani, Sutanto Pranoto and Mathos Pormes, all of whom were sentenced to 17 months’ imprisonment.

The lawmakers were found guilty of accepting bribes ranging from Rp 350 million (US$37,450) to Rp 600 million to support candidate Miranda S Goeltom, now a suspect in the case.

The scandal has implicated 30 politicians, including 15 politicians from The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), 11 from the Golkar Party, three from the United Development Party (PPP) and one from the Indonesian Military/National Police faction at the House of Representatives in 2004.

Earlier this year, former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin was sentenced to four-years in prison after being found guilty of paying bribes.

Another Democratic Party politician, former beauty queen Angelina Sondakh, is currently a suspect in the SEA Games athletes’ village case.

Former House of Representatives’ budget committee member from the National Mandate Party (PAN) Wa Ode Nurhayati has been named as a suspect in a bribery case surrounding the deliberation of the 2011 Aceh Regional Infrastructure Adjustment Fund.

Sebastian Salang of the Indonesian Parliament Watch (Formappi) said that the high cost of launching a political career in the House prompted politicians to use the legislature as their cash cow and turned it into one of the country’s most corrupt institutions.

“Political parties depend on their members to obtain money from their operations. Political life also demands an expensive lifestyle and politicians need a lot of money for this,” he said.

Member of House Commission III overseeing human rights and law Taslim Chaniago of the National Mandate Party (PAN) shrugged off the survey’s findings, saying that the public had overstated the institution’s clout.

He said that the House had no authority over the state budget, which prevented its members from being involved in massive corruption.

“As I never breached any regulation, I have nothing to worry about. But this survey could serve as a lesson for lawmakers, so that they and the House can reform themselves,” said Taslim, who was once a member of the House budgetary committee.

Fellow lawmaker, Dewi Ariyani of the PDI-P said that the public had a wrong of the House.

“There are good lawmakers who dedicate themselves to voicing the people’s aspirations, the media just does not cover them,” she
said. (aml)