Camelia Pasandaran – A House of Representatives committee on Sunday denied it had dragged its feet on a bill to set up a new Anti-Corruption Court.

Dewi Asmara, the head of the committee, said that the House had to be methodical in its consideration of the bill. "We don't want to pass it without thorough deliberations," she said.

Dewi said the committee hoped to pass the bill before its members' terms expired in October, but they would not push it through in haste.

Meanwhile, Indonesia Corruption Watch on Sunday blasted the House for its sluggish deliberations over the bill. "If the House fails to pass it in this term, it will only show that they are weakening efforts to eradicate corruption," said Febri Diansyah, a legal researcher at ICW.

"They have to remember that they only have limited time left before their terms run out. A month from now, their terms will be over. Within the month, there's also a long Lebaran holiday," he said, referring to Idul Fitri, the celebration to mark the end of Ramadan.

Wahyudi Djafar, a law researcher with the National Consortium for Law Reform (KRHN), agreed progress had been slow. "The committee keeps on discussing insignificant matters while tending to ignore important parts of the law," he said.

According to a 2006 ruling by the Constitutional Court, the country must have a new law to establish an Anti-Corruption Court by Dec. 19 or risk stripping the current court of its legitimacy.

The Anti-Corruption Court was established under a 2002 law that also set up the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The Constitutional Court, however, ruled that a separate law was needed to give the court a proper legal foundation.

Dewi said the House had worked hard on the bill, with the committee even working throughout the holidays.