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Jakarta. Much can be gained from comparative study trips abroad, House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie argued on Wednesday, dismissing public outcry over the use of state funds to bankroll overseas trips.

Marzuki added comparative study trips were an essential part of the legislation process.

“A law must be complete, comprehensive and long lasting,” Marzuki, who is from the ruling Democratic Party, told the Jakarta Globe. “Comparative studies are necessary, when it comes to deliberations of bills.”

His comments came in response to criticism from watchdogs that legislators’ overseas trips were both unnecessary and extremely wasteful.

This month alone, two House commissions sent delegations to five different countries.

House Commission X overseeing education has sent its working committee on the scouts bill to Japan, South Korea and South Africa.

Meanwhile, House Commission IV, which oversees agriculture, forestry and fisheries, has sent a delegation working on a horticulture bill to the Netherlands and Norway.

Marzuki said trips like these were crucial in seeking references from other countries that have already established regulations on certain issues, as well as for further studies.

“Laws have been made [in Indonesia] in the past that were weak due to the lack of preparation, which isn’t good,” he said.

“This is why comparative studies through trips to other countries are necessary.”

House Deputy Speaker Anis Matta, from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), said the tours were justifiable because most legislators lacked experience in drafting bills.

“By taking these trips, we’re hoping that legislators ramp up their abilities,” he said. He added visits abroad were permitted by the 2007 Legislative Bodies Law, which allows at least two trips per bill.

Marzuki said these trips were initiated by each commission, but only the House leadership could give them the green light. Approval for each trip is given careful consideration, he said.

But the trip for the delegation working on the scouts bill received heavy criticism for selecting South Africa, as it is not known for having strong regulations on scouts.

“There was good consideration for that. But it would be best if the commission concerned explained the matter to the public,” Marzuki said, adding the legislature needed to improve its communication with the public for the sake of greater accountability and transparency.

The Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (Fitra) recently released a statement showing the trips made by commissions IV and X resulted in wasteful spending of Rp 3.7 billion.

Fitra said the trips taken were unnecessary because both bills were virtually ready to be passed into law.

“If the lawmakers took those trips, it was merely for leisure,” Fitra said in a statement.

But Marzuki said each trip had been budgeted according to proper considerations, and was not based on the demands of legislators deliberating the bills.

“The budget for the trip is allocated in accordance to a decision issued by the Finance Ministry,” he said. The expenses usually include air tickets, hotel accommodation and allowance, but nothing that suggests a luxury trip, he said.

Marzuki also rejected suggestions from watchdogs that legislators send their staff instead.

Among those watchdogs is the Center for Law and Policy Study, which said that expert staffers were usually the ones who dealt with the technical aspects of legislation, and not the politicians they worked for.

“Is there a law that allows for such a thing?” Marzuki said, questioning the legality of sending the legislators’ staff.

“The staffers are there to help, but they’re not entitled to such privileges. Legislation is the task of a legislator, they’re the ones that make the decisions and pass the laws, and therefore they’re the ones that need to have a clear understanding of the contents.”

Marzuki said he was dismayed that the criticisms were directed only against legislators, and not against other government officials who also take trips abroad.

“Every step the House takes is always deemed wrong. This needs to be rectified,” he said.

According to Fitra, legislators were allocated Rp 122 billion ($13.5 million) for official visits for 2010, a 30 percent increase over the previous year.

This year, the House has scheduled 58 official visits to 20 different countries. Twenty-three additional trips have also been budgeted but the destinations have yet to be decided. The majority of legislators’ tours are group visits.

Fitra also criticized a Rp 1.6 billion allotment for the House Ethics Council for comparative study tours, arguing the body was solely tasked with internal supervision of the legislature.