TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Members of the 2009-2014 House of Representatives (DPR) were the least productive legislators of the reform era. In their first four years in Senayan-home of the DPR-they fell well short of the target to complete their agenda. For example, last year the DPR only completed 16 of the planned 75 new laws. This year, with half of the members busy with election campaigning, it is almost certain the target will not be met again.
It is regrettable that this tardiness in producing legislation is in sharp contrast to 'productivity' when it comes to corruption. Research into members of the 2009-2014 DPR by the Financial Transactions Reporting and Analysis Center (PPATK) revealed that the largest number of indications of corruption and money laundering happened last year. Data from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) support this. Since 2007, some 74 legislators were involved in corruption cases, including 40 people from 2010 to 2012.
The DPR members elected through the 2014 legislative elections should not continue these unhappy legacies, even though there are many old faces among them. The campaign promises of DPR members not to be corrupt must go beyond speeches. Even though the DPR is to be the sparring partner of the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla administration, which is determined to eradicate corruption, it does not have to go in the opposite direction.
Therefore, the speaker of the 2014-2019 DPR should be a person with a strong commitment to pushing for an end to money laundering. The DPR membership needs to elect a leader who is a 'clean broom', without a poor track record in corruption.
The position of DPR speaker is decided by a vote. Since the legislature revised the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), DPR, Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Laws, the winner of the legislative election does not automatically become the DPR speaker. If the supporters of Prabowo Subianto and Hatta Rajasa remain united after losing the presidential election, their coalition, which controls the most seats in the House, has a good chance of winning the election for speaker. The coalition has given the Golkar Party the mandate to propose a candidate for the job.
We are concerned that Golkar will probably propose Setya Novanto, 59, despite the fact that the party treasurer who has been a member of the DPR for four terms has long been 'close' to criminal cases. This businessman, who went into politics after the release of his book Suharto Management, was declared a suspect in 1999 in relation to the Rp3 billion Bank Bali debt transfer case. Several people became corruption suspects and ended up in jail, but not Setya Novanto.
Four years later, Setya was reported to be involved in the smuggling of 60,000 tons of Vietnamese rice. He was questioned by prosecutors in 2006. As a result of the actions of several of his companies, in 2005 Setya was questioned by civil service investigators from the Environment Ministry over the import of toxic and hazardous waste. Because he was suspected of involvement in laundering of funds for the 2012 National Games, Setya was questioned by the KPK as a witness for suspect Riau Governor Rusli Zainal.
There are still indications of Setya's involvement in two major corruption cases: the e-KTP electronic ID card project and bribery of the former Constitutional Court chief justice during the East Java gubernatorial election. Setya denies wrongdoing in either case.
By continuing to propose Setya Novanto, the Golkar Party is taking a huge political risk. Besides being vulnerable to charges of not wanting to stamp out corruption, especially in the DPR, the party could also be seen as lacking members with 'clean' track records. (*)
