National – The House of Representatives celebrated on Thursday its 68th anniversary with a dismal legislative record and poor attendance by its members.

During a plenary meeting to celebrate the anniversary on Thursday only one third of the total 560 lawmakers were present. At the event, House Speaker Marzuki Alie announced that the legislative body had completed the deliberation of only 13 of the 70 bills earmarked for this year.

Marzuki said that political deadlock had prevented the House and the government reaching the target as well as lax discipline among lawmakers.

"We need to improve the structure and mechanism of this institution for a more effective performance. One way to do this is by setting up a Law Center," he said.

Director of the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK), Ronald Rofiandri said that the poor performance of the House was no surprise. He said that as lawmakers prepared for the 2014 elections, they would prioritize political campaigning.

"Nonetheless, this should not be an excuse because lawmakers are responsible for fulfilling the job mandated to them in the remainder of their terms," Ronald said.