With great hope and fanfare, the reform era that began in 1998 and the democratic elections in 1999 were intended to usher in a new climate of accountable government after decades of authoritarian rule. With the campaign period for the April 9 legislative elections starting on Monday, it's fair to ask how the current legislature has done its job and whether responsible government is, indeed, the order of the day.

In a package of stories kicking off our campaign coverage, the Jakarta Globe takes a look at the House or Representatives, or DPR, and how it has performed. House members and others look back at an institution that has been relentlessly tarred and feathered by corruption allegations, arrests, court trials and convictions.

"The 1999-2004 group was involved in the reform movement. There was a much stronger link with the aspirations of the people," two-term lawmaker Alvin Lie told the Jakarta Globe.

Sadly, the House is repeatedly listed as among the most graft-ridden institutions by the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, Transparency International and Indonesia Corruption Watch. Six former or current lawmakers have been convicted by the Anti-Corruption Court in the past year, two are currently on trial and entire House commissions have been implicated in graft.

But is the bad rap deserved? Media scrutiny of the House has tainted the entire legislature, even though analysts say it is pushing for internal reforms and has good members who don't take bribes.

Then there's the legislation itself, which critics say is often so badly written that the laws that emerge are not helpful to the public at large. For example, critics say the "whistle-blower" law passed in 2008 actually reduces protection for civil servants. "The systems and mechanisms in the DPR are not reformed yet," says Nursantia Nasution, of the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS.

Will the crop of lawmakers that emerge triumphant in 2009 be able to accomplish that reform? Stay tuned.