House faction agree to set up code of ethics

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)