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Lawmakers on Friday defended themselves against public accusations that they were wasting public money during recess, including by taking trips overseas.

House Deputy Speaker Taufik Kurniawan said that while the public is allowed to criticize, not all lawmakers are guilty.

The lawmakers in the National Mandate Party (PAN) said that many legislators were doing a great job during their four recess periods a year.

“They take trips during recesses to local cities or overseas, on missions related to their job as lawmakers,” Taufik said.

Viva Yoga Mauladi, another PAN lawmaker, said that not all accusations against legislators were true.

He said the law required lawmakers to return to their constituency during recess to meet with constituents.

Although each lawmaker is given Rp 54 million ($6,300) per recess on top of their monthly salary which is around Rp 60 million, the amounts are not always enough, Viva claimed.

Viva said that lawmakers could visit several districts during recesses and constituents often made requests to them for donations or to make “social contributions.”

“We must pay attention when some constituents make requests to us to help them to build public-service buildings for their community,” he said.

Lawmakers must submit reports to the party and the House leadership after each recess about their visits to their constituents.

“I have special staff to record all my activities during the recess, which would become [the basis of] my report after the recess,” Viva said.

On overseas trips, Viva said the budget was fully determined by the Finance Ministry, including what could be spent on daily allowances as well as for accommodation during the trips.

“Honestly, some friends told me that it [the allowance] is actually not enough. But we must accept the condition and file a report of the trip,” he said.

Lawmaker Budiman Sujatmiko, from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said he used most of his recess allowance and monthly salary to finance his “aspiration house.”

He paid at least Rp 20 million a month in salary for the staff he has assigned to work in his aspiration house in Central Java. Aspiration houses are regional offices where constituents can air their grievances, demands and aspirations.

“During the recess period, I use the allowance to arrange some direct meetings between my constituents and myself,” Budiman said.

Another PDI-P lawmaker, Eva Kusuma Sundari, said that besides meeting with her constituents, she often used the recess allowance on programs promoting Pancasila, the state ideology.

Eva said that during the last recess period from December to January, she documented her activities. They included meeting with her constituents in some districts of East Java and flying back to Jakarta to mediate a dispute between the army and some civilians living in East Jakarta.

She then flew back to East Java to promote Pancasila and visited more constituents in Tulung Agung and Blitar.

“We have all the reports, including reports covering any overseas trips. So, I and most lawmakers don’t spend the money for personal use, but really for our jobs,” she said.