Hans David Tampubolon, Jakarta – As many as 560 legislators at the House of Representatives took their oath on Oct. 1 and pledged to wholeheartedly serve their constituents.

More than 100 million eligible voters elected the legislators directly during the intense and grueling legislative elections in April 2009.

As a result of the elections, some 70 percent of lawmakers elected were new faces and they will be responsible for producing legislation, monitoring the executive and approving the state budget.

With such expectations, civil society leaders, activists and political analysts have put high hopes on the new faces at the House, the image of which has been severely tarnished by graft scandals and under-performing legislators.

On their inauguration day, the new legislators promised to live up to the public's expectations.

A legislator from the National Mandate Party (PAN), Eko Hendro Purnomo, promised that he would put his constituents' interests before those of his party.

"If I'm forced to approve or disapprove of a policy that doesn't benefit my constituents, then I will resign," said the man famously known as Eko Patrio in the country's comedy scene.

Legislator Vena Melinda from the Democratic Party, the most dominant party at the House, promised to build her own community center in her constituents' region in East Java.

Vena is mostly known as model, soap opera star and dance trainer. Her claims echoed the same optimistic tone of other new legislators.

However after three months, the new legislators are yet to receive any significant praise from the public for their work.

Over the last three months, legislators have attracted nothing but criticism, distrust and condemnation, especially of their responsibility to keep the executive accountable.

The first week at the House was filled with internal conflict between several commission leaders and the speaker, Marzuki Alie from the Democratic Party.

Marzuki was said to have gone too far by canceling commission hearings with ministers, which some said was a bias decision. He was accused of reducing the House's control mechanism of the government.

Marzuki defended himself saying the cancellations were made because he wanted the commissions to establish a clear agenda and clear goals before summoning ministers.

When the hearings did take place, a number of new legislators seemed to have a lot of trouble delivering their questions proportionally.

Some of them began their inquiries by quoting verses from their respective holy books, and most of the time, irritated commission leaders due to the time they wasted on unnecessary religious lectures.

Some seemed so busy they even had their personal assistants open and pour their mineral waters for them.

A former legislator from the PAN, Alvin Lie, said that he was not surprised about the questionable attitudes of the new legislators. "They are having stage fright. I guess they have finally realized that being a legislator is not easy," he said.

More criticism followed when some members of the law commission gave an ovation to the then National Police detective chief Comr. Gen. Susno Duadji at a hearing in early November.

Susno was considered to be one of the main culprits in a conspiracy to weaken the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) by framing its deputy chairmen, Chandra M. Hamzah and Bibit Samad Rianto.

The legislators' ovation was seen as a disgrace by antigraft activists, considering that just a day before at a hearing with the police the law commission had been cynical of the KPK, despite the fact the KPK had managed to salvage some Rp 139.8 billion (US$14.86 million) in state funds as of November 2009.

The latest criticism has been directed to the House's apparent ignorance of public opinion by appointing Golkar member Idrus Marham as chairman of a Bank Century inquiry committee. The inquiry team is responsible for investigating the bank's controversial bailout worth Rp 6.76 trillion.

Dozens of demonstrators rallied outside the committee meeting room and hundreds more outside the legislative body compound, demanding committee members not vote for Idrus because he did not initiate the inquiry and was considered incompetent to lead it.

However, as it turned out, Idrus was elected chairman by obtaining 19 out of 30 available votes and by defeating his closest rival, Gayus Lumbuun of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), with a 12-vote margin. The voting process, broadcast live, raised more questions about the legislators' commitment to resolving the debacle. Some of the lawmakers were seen laughing and joking around while casting their vote.

Other legislators where upset about the lack of seriousness some were showing. "I hope I'm not going to become like one of them," said Mukhamad Misbakhun from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS).

A former legislator at the law commission, Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, said she understood that everyone had an "inner child", but legislators should be more controlled while attending a serious forum.

Despite heavy blows for the new House, a number of legislators have provided a glimmer of hope.

An expert from the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI), Burhanuddin Muhtadi, said that Gayus had set a good example for new legislators when he walked out of a hearing with Attorney General Hendarman Supandji.

PDI-P's Maruarar Sirait also said that he applauded a number of new legislators who had dared to take a different stance with their respective parties to initiate the Bank Century committee. Sebastian Salang from the Indonesian Parliamentary Watchdog (Formappi), however, said that even though there was some idealism left in the House, he expected people would not have high expectations of legislators.