Arientha Primanita & Camelia Pasandaran – House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie is using the results of a recent survey indicating plunging public trust in politicians to revive the shelved proposal for "aspiration houses" – constituency offices for lawmakers.
"The House has strategic plans, including the houses of aspiration, public relations programs, and mechanisms for public complaints," Marzuki said at the State Palace on Monday. "We'll push to finish [construction of the aspiration houses] next year. It'll bring lawmakers and those who elected them closer, to increase public trust."
Results of a poll by the Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) released on Sunday showed trust in politicians was at just 23 percent, down from 44 percent in 2005.
Marzuki said that the constituency offices – to be built in each electoral district and used by legislators to interact with voters – were necessary as part of the wider strategy to regain trust.
The scheme, which was slated to cost a total of Rp 2.7 trillion ($300 million), was shelved last October following intense public opposition. "We want the House to be a political institution built with democracy as its pillar and to be a credible and trustworthy institution," Marzuki said.
He added the constituency offices would allow regional heads and the public to discuss issues with lawmakers, thereby increasing transparency. "There should be no more budget mafia in the House to taint our image," he said, referring to the practice of embezzling state budget allocations.
Ari Dwipayana, a political analyst at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, told the Jakarta Globe that the offices would not boost public trust in lawmakers.
"The problem is bad parties with poor recruitment methods and a reliance on politicians as their source of funding," Ari said. "This way, politicians have to collect money – legally or illegally."
Instead of building the aspiration houses, Ari said, the House should seek to improve how it allocates the budget in order to prevent it being embezzled.