Dumped lawmakers 'may abuse power'

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With most members of the House of Representatives' finance commission seeing no chance of reelection, there are fears they will use their remaining sitting period to demand bribes.

Reports from the General Elections Commission (KPU) indicate more than half of the 55 members of the Commission IX on finance have a little or no chance of being reelected. They are either not proposed as legislative candidates by their own parties or have been put low down on their party lists.

The legislative election will be held on April 5, and new legislators will assume their posts in October. The House, now in recess, will sit again from May to October.

Economic and political analyst Ichsanuddin Noorsy said the legislators who fail in the incoming elections, would be likely to take bribes as they would feel their careers were over.

"These legislators will think that their remaining sitting period is their last chance to rake in as much money as they can, because there will be no second chances later on, and they have nothing to lose," he said over the weekend.

Ichsanuddin, a former legislator from the Golkar Party, said the legislators should be prevented from being involved in approving policies proposed by the government during their remaining sitting period, given the bribery risk.

The policies should be approved by the new legislators instead, he said.

High on the Commission IX's agenda in the remaining sitting period is the selection of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) head and board members.

The commission has decided to proceed with the selection after the general election and will finish it before the presidential election on July 5. It insisted it would proceed despite protests from several non-governmental organizations, which urged the selection should be done by the new legislators.

The BPK has a crucial task of examining the implementation of the state budget and the financial reports of state institutions, including state-owned enterprises.

Other strategic government policies waiting to be approved by the commission are the sale of government shares in several state-owned companies, such as a 30 percent stake in scandal- ridden Bank Negara Indonesia, and the privatization of PT Merpati Airlines, finance company PT Danareksa Persero and airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I. The government and the legislators are also scheduled to approve the selection of the senior deputy governor for the Central Bank.

Economist Drajad Wibowo said the government might manipulate the frustrated legislators in order to win easy approval for its policies during the House sitting period.

"The May to October period could prove the most hazardous time for the country's economy, because several legislators, who are obviously frustrated, will become easy targets for bribes by government officials," Drajad said.