Irawaty Wardany – The already-tarnished integrity of the country's legislators is once again under the spotlight after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested yet another legislator for alleged bribery.
Abdul Hadi Djamal, now dismissed from the National Mandate Party (PAN), was caught Monday night allegedly receiving bribes.
"This (bribery) practice is no longer a public secret," Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) activist Emerson Yuntho told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
He added the integrity of most House of Representatives members should further be questioned. "The problem lies in the internal supervision of political parties and the House," he pointed out.
Gayus Lumbuun, deputy chairman of the House Disciplinary Council, said Abdul's arrest came as a shock because it occurred when the House was trying to boost its image. "It's an extraordinary incident," he said.
But he was quick to point out the public should not generalize about all House members being corrupt just because of a few bad seeds.
Emerson said the public was well aware of how reluctant political parties were to discipline their members implicated in corruption cases, tending rather to embrace the principle of presumption of innocence, despite many of them clearly being proven guilty.
Parties tended to prioritize members' loyalty and financial contributions, while integrity was a minor factor, he said.
Emerson also questioned the role of the House Disciplinary Council, which he said had failed to deter legislators from engaging in graft.
"There are several lessons we can learn from this incident," he said. "First, the House must strengthen the council's role; second, the parties should use this momentum to rid themselves of corrupt members."
The public, he added, must also learn from this incident by not voting for corrupt parties or legislators.
Abdul was arrested after receiving US$90,000 and Rp 54 million (US$4,463) from Transportation Ministry official Darmawati Dahore. The money was allegedly linked to the development of port and airport facilities in eastern Indonesia, worth around Rp 100 billion.
Abdul's lawyer, Heri Parani, said his client was only a "broker" in the case, but did not elaborate on this statement. Gayus said the disciplinary council had been ordered by House Speaker Agung Laksono to coordinate with the KPK over the case.
"We will meet with the KPK tomorrow at 11 a.m. to seek out the motives behind the incident," said Gayus, a senior legislator from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).