Anita Rachman, Jakarta – House of Representatives leaders on Wednesday defended what critics said was a half-baked revamp of the body's widely derided Ethics Council, saying that factions were within their rights submitting old or new names to represent them at the council.

The House leaders had promised to change the membership of the council, which has been plagued by infighting and criticized over overseas trips.

However, only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) replaced its two members in the council. The other parties only partially changed their representatives or simply retained them in their positions.

"The policy [decided during a meeting of House leaders last week] was that all Ethics Council members were to be sent back to their factions, and then it was up to the factions whether or not they wanted to install new members," said Anis Matta, secretary general of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which opted not to replace its sole representative at the council.

On Tuesday, the PDI-P pulled its two new lawmakers from the Ethics Council, Muhammad Prakosa and Sri Rahayu, telling them to skip all of the council's meeting until the other factions installed new representatives.

The Golkar Party only replaced one of its two members while the ruling Democrats replaced one of three. The four parties with one member each – the PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) – simply reinstalled their previous representatives on the council.

Anis said the problem had been resolved since all parties had agreed to pull back their council representatives and put forth new names to replace them.

Priyo Budi Santoso, a deputy House speaker from Golkar, said the parties had abided by the House leaders' decisions concerning the council "It is up to the factions to forward names," he said. "We are sure that the people sent to the council are the best."

Pramono Anung, a PDI-P House deputy speaker, said he would suggest to the House leadership that they ask all of the factions to install all-new representatives on the council.

Anis said he believed the new membership of the council was now final and, if need be, the council could work without the PDI-P's participation. Golkar lawmaker Nudirman Munir, the council's deputy chairman, also said the council could work without the PDI-P.

Nudirman headed a team of seven of the council's nine members in a much-criticized visit to Greece to learn about "ethics," including whether smoking was allowed in the Greek Parliament. Criticism grew even louder after it was revealed the team had spent two days without work in Turkey on their way back.