Jakarta – Almost one third of Indonesian legislators hardly attended any parliamentary sessions in the 10 months to July, reports said Friday.

A study conducted by the Mass Communication Forum, which groups journalists covering parliament, also said 10 MPs, including the husband and a brother of President Megawati Sukarnoputri, had not attended a single session, the Kompas daily said.

Megawati's businessman husband Taufik Kiemas is under fire for leading a delegation of ministers to China last week to negotiate energy and fisheries deals.

Forum chairman Sulistyo suggested the salaries of MPs who failed to attend parliament should be cut. "It's difficult [to punish the errant MPs] because there's no law regulating [attendance]," he was quoted as saying.

Indonesia's parliament has been trying to shed its rubber stamp image gained during the Suharto era since the former dictator resigned in May 1998 after 32 years in power.

It sacked then-president Abdurrahman Wahid in June for alleged incompetence and corruption and elected Megawati to replace him.