Rendi Akhmad Witular, Jakarta – Many legislators are not qualified for their jobs and continue to put their personal interests over national ones, Golkar Party leader Jusuf Kalla says.

"If Indonesia is serious about its commitment to improving the checks-and-balances system and the quality of law making, then we need better qualified legislators," the Vice President said in a keynote speech as Golkar leader to a seminar held by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday.

"I have several times demanded that the recruitment of legislators should be transparent and accountable," Kalla said. With a better recruitment system, he said, intellectuals, academics, bureaucrats and professionals could play a greater role in parties and in the House of Representatives.

"It would be disastrous if the institution (the House) was under-qualified. Legislators would only focus on their personal rights, but neglect their obligations."

Lawmakers in the 550-seat House, which is dominated by Golkar with 129 seats and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with 109, have been criticized for their constant demand for pay hikes, although House members are already among the best-paid politicians in the country.

Despite the salary hikes, the House was only able to enact 14 laws from the target of 55 bills last year. This year, the legislators are supposed to pass 77 bills. So far, they have not passed any.

Kalla said many Golkar legislators were incompetent, with only a few having the skills or inclination to scrutinize and deliberate legislation.

During his speech, Kalla warned about the potential for "political exhaustion" if politics was only used as way to win an election, but not as a vehicle to improve national prosperity.

"If democracy is only a goal, every politician will do their utmost to further their personal ambitions during the elections. They are not encouraged to serve the public and make people more prosperous," he said.

"A government is not functional unless the economy is running well. Political designs automatically follow the level of (a nation's) prosperity, meaning that if the people are getting poorer, then there will be a greater demand for political change," Kalla said.