Page 202 - BUKU STRENGTHENING THE INDONESIAN PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY FADLI ZON

In this opening remark, I would like to mention four pivotal ways in which parliamentarians
engage anti-corruption; First, through its ability to make laws and also reform laws when desired.
As a legislative institution, Parliaments have the mandate to create a legal-framework that is
needed to eradicate corruption and reform laws when necessary. Second, the Parliament’s role
in enacting and criticizing the government budget is significant in protecting financial integrity
and keeping the financial flow accountable. Third, as representative of the people, parliament
has the mandate to not only set- up the legal framework, but also to oversee its implementation.
Fourth, Parliament has the responsibility to ensure public interest is represented in the policy-
making process.

In other words, Parliaments and Parliamentarians have pivotal roles in fighting corruption by
channeling the interests and concerns of civil society into an open debate, passing the necessary
legislations, and creating the political will to fight against corruption.

However, at the same time, parliamentarians’ roles in policy-making, authorizing budgets, and
providing oversight give them extensive opportunities for political or financial gain.

For instance, some legislators encounter many opportunities to engage in corruption either to
ensure their re-election (vote buying, illicit party financing) or to obtain private financial gain
from their work.

Therefore, those mandates perform like ‘two sides of the same coin’. In this context,
Parliamentarians can be responsible for either flourishing or perishing of corruption depending
on their political will.

Being aware of those circumstances, I would like to emphasize another approach that can
significantly help Parliaments and parliamentarians in its mission to fight against corruption,
which is building coalition trough Inter-parliamentary networks.

The Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) is an example of an
international network of parliamentarians that focus solely on combating corruption.

GOPAC members are current or former legislators or legislators who have been denied their right
to take office. Their collaboration is non-partisan. Currently, GOPAC has 5 regional chapters in
Africa, Arab, Latin America, Oceania, and Southeast Asia, with 62 National Chapters, and more
than 1000 members already join our movement.

It was created in October 2002, when Parliamentarians from around the world met in the
Chamber of the Canadian House of Commons, and formed the Global Organization of
Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC).

Selected Speeches of the Vice Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia I 189