More corrupt officials jailed
The already tainted reputation of Indonesia's parliament is being further tarnished, as a parade of former and current lawmakers are dragged before the courts on graft charges.
Former Golkar legislators Hamka Yandhu and Anthony Zeidra Abidin were sentenced to three years and 41/2 years respectively on Wednesday for receiving bribes in a 2004 Bank Indonesia corruption scandal.
The two were part of a commission overseeing financial and banking issues. All of the former members of the commission are now suspects in the scandal.
The verdicts by the anti-corruption court came two days after Al-Amin Nasution, a member of the Forestry Commission, was sentenced to eight years in prison in a separate trial for taking bribes in exchange for agreeing to turn over protected forests for other uses.
A legislator with the United Development Party, Nasution, was the first sitting member of the House of Representatives to be convicted of corruption. He could soon be joined by Democrat Party lawmaker Sarjan Tahir and National Awakening Party lawmaker Yusuf Erwin Faishal, who are also standing trial.
Many more are being targeted, including 41 current and former lawmakers who investigators say received money to confirm Miranda Goeltom as senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia in 2004.
This case surfaced when Democratic Party of Struggle parliamentarian Agus Condro Prayitno confessed to having received 500 million rupiahs (HK$355,500).
Adnan Topan Husodo, of Indonesia Corruption Watch, said the problem was difficult to fight because lawmakers were the product of a corrupt political system.
'To be selected as candidates, they have to pay their own parties. Then they have to spend money to run in the election, which often involves money politics. So when they become lawmakers, the first thing they do is try to recover their money,' he said. 'They are also burdened with the demands of their parties, which require financial contributions.'
Mr Adnan called for party reform - with the most competent people being put forward for office, instead of those with the deepest pockets - and a strengthening of parliament's internal monitoring body.
'Currently, the 'parliament honorary body' is made up of lawmakers only, but it should also include members of civil society,' he said.
Tommy Legowo, of parliament watchdog Formappi, said cleaning up politics was likely to take a long time.
'We need innovators and good examples,' he said, praising the Prosperous Justice Party, a Muslim party that has gained ground lately on a corruption-free agenda.
The public has long believed parliament to be among the country's most corrupt institutions, and local media routinely describe lawmakers as kucing garong - tomcats who prowl in search of something to steal.
