Jakarta – The House of Representatives leaders' insistence on going ahead with building a Rp 1.16 trillion (US$118 million) super luxury 36-story office tower despite taxpayers' fierce objections is extremely fishy.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie showed off a semblance of arrogance when he rejected his Democratic Party's initiative to conduct a survey of public opinion about the project. He maintained there was no need to consult the public in this controversial affair.

Last year, following a public outcry regarding the project, the House decided to suspend the mega-project, but recently announced they would in fact go ahead with the construction project in June. Their compromise was reducing the estimated cost from an initial Rp 1.8 trillion.

Critics have questioned the need to spend Rp 800 million of taxpayers' money for each of the 120-square-meter room in the ultra cozy building, when the existing offices can still comfortably accommodate the 560 House members and their supporting staff.

The House leadership says the old office tower, Nusantara I Building, is terrifying because it is slanting, but this has become a public joke because a recent Public Works Ministry survey found the structure was perfectly OK.

Then legislators have clung to the flimsy argument that they badly need bigger and better spaces to improve their performance.

As they did in the past, some politicians – unconvincingly claiming to represent their political factions – are trying to appease public resentment by pretending they too are not very happy with the project. This sit-com style acting is obvious from the deafening silence of the House's political factions on the issue.

As we know, these factions are the mouthpiece of the political parties in the House, and are the actual decision-makers. Those clumsy voices of individual legislators do not count.

The politicians' stubbornness has come amid public scathing criticism of lawmakers' performance, which – interestingly – they have blamed on the old, less modern and ill-equipped office building.

The legislators' poor performance in lawmaking, which is their main job aside from the state budgeting and supervision of the executive branch of bureaucracy, is legendary. Over the past decade of the reformasi era, they have never achieved the targets they set. Last year, for example, they managed to accomplish only 14 of the 70 bills they had committed to endorsing into law.

Public criticism has not discouraged lawmakers from making costly unaccountable overseas trips for the dubious purpose of "comparative studies" on lawmaking. Corruption continues to mire the legislative body with dozens of lawmakers having been jailed or standing trial for graft.

The plan should be canceled and the money be reallocated for urgent projects now with the public increasingly feeling the pinch of economic difficulties.

Just imagine, the Rp 1.16 trillion would be enough to build some 11,000 elementary school buildings, or to pay the health insurance of 22 million poor citizens who are powerless to the skyrocketing medicine prices.

The legislators should show the public their moral integrity and achievements to make us all proud before they come out with an idea for an impresive new workplace. How come legislators can ignore the objections and the plight of the people they represent?

Instead of living in an Ivory Tower, the lawmakers, as representatives of the people, should instead reach out to and do their best for their constituents.