House faction agree to set up code of ethics

JAKARTA (JP): Leaders of all four factions in the House of Representatives have approved a plan to set up a code of ethics for legislators, Deputy House Speaker Syarwan Hamid said yesterday.

Syarwan said the House and faction leaders had reached an agreement in their initial meeting to discuss the plan that members of the legislative body need a common code of values.

"The meeting was just an initial step, let's say a brainstorming. We will hold more discussions and perhaps form a special working committee to define the common values," Syarwan told journalists yesterday after a leadership meeting at the House.

House Speaker and Golkar chief Harmoko presided over the weekly meeting.

Syarwan said executives from the four factions would consult with their party in the near future before the deliberation of the plan to establish a code of ethics resumes.

He said the initial discussion between House leaders and their counterparts from the four factions had yet to touch on the appropriate form of guidance of conduct.

"We have learned various kinds of codes that apply in other countries, including India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States. But we avoid naming our code of ethics (for now)," Syarwan said.

He said it might be necessary for the House to make a comparative study on the codes applied in different countries, but the future so-called House code of ethics would refer to internal rules and the oath taken by legislators in their inauguration.

Syarwan said the House leaders had not set a deadline for the code's endorsement.

"However, we hope to see the code enacted in our term," he said. The current House term will end in 2002.

The House has been beleaguered by bribery allegations, just as it launched a campaign to live up to its status as the top state institution which is equal with the President.

The campaign to improve the image of the House includes greater participation in the development of laws and performance enhancement of the House.

Several legislators deliberating the recently passed manpower bill admitted they received incentives from the government, saying that such practices had long been applied.

Funds to underwrite the deliberations of the manpower bill were taken from the state-owned workers' security company PT Jamsostek upon the request of Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief.

The minister later said President Soeharto ordered the use of Jamsostek's funds.

During yesterday's meeting, leaders of the House and the four factions also agreed to form a special team to deliberate with the government in anticipation of the kinds of bills the country would need in the next five years. (amd)