Agus Triyono & Ezra Sihite – Each lawmaker in the House of Representatives will reportedly receive Rp 963 million ($105,000) in recess budget funds this year, a 57 percent increase from the Rp 611 million allocated in 2011.

Uchok Sky Khadafi, from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra), slammed the increase, saying lawmakers did little of value for the people during recesses.

"All the programs and activities during recess are very ceremonial and boring, as boring as listening to President SBY's speeches, and the people don't get any benefit from the activities," he said on Saturday.

Uchok also said many lawmakers who took the budgeted recess funds didn't bother holding any activities during their breaks from the legislature in Jakarta.

"It was some lawmakers themselves who said that," he said. "They took the money but didn't engage in any recess activities. But we haven't investigated that yet." Uchok declined to name the lawmakers who had taken the money and pocketed it instead of using it for events.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Eva Kusuma Sundari denied that recess funds were so lavish, but declined to say how much they did get. "It can't be Rp 1.5 billion, you can buy a house with that," she said.

Eva said the House secretary general required lawmakers to submit a report and documentation to support their claims about recess activities that made use of state funds.

She added, however, that she couldn't say for sure whether her colleagues complied with the requirement. "As for myself, I make a narrative report," she said.