AGO told to reform recruitment, supervision systems<\/p>\n
Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government needs to reform the recruitment and supervision
\nsystem in the public prosecution service in an effort to help
\nimprove the law enforcement system in Indonesia, often branded as
\namong the world's most corrupt, researchers say.<\/p>\n
The National Law Commission, a state-sponsored institution
\nthat conducted a study into the recruitment and supervision
\nprocesses in the Attorney General's Office (AGO), said the system
\nwas full of flaws and needed to be improved.<\/p>\n
Asep Rahmat Fajar, a researcher from the commission, said that
\nthe tests used by the AGO as part of the recruitment process were
\nnot challenging enough nor specifically designed to obtain bright
\nyoung people.<\/p>\n
The tests still used multiple choice, considered to be an
\noutdated method, instead of more complicated essays, case studies
\nor other specific tests, he added.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar titled \"Reform of the Indonesian
\nProsecutorial System\", hosted by the AGO here on Tuesday, Asep
\nalso said that recruitment committees failed to apply fixed
\nstandards in conducting interviews with candidates so that the
\nresults varied from one place to another.<\/p>\n
A prominent legal expert from the University of Indonesia,
\nHarkristuti Harkrisnowo, shared Asep's view and said that the AGO
\nshould not confine itself to recruiting only civil servants as
\nnew prosecutors.<\/p>\n
The recruiters should also proactively visit the country's law
\nschools to encourage academics to apply for the jobs, she added.<\/p>\n
Harkristuti suggested that the recruitment tests be
\ncentralized to avoid the application of different standards by
\ndifferent provincial prosecutor's offices.<\/p>\n
Responding to the findings of the study, the head of the AGO's
\npersonnel bureau, Bambang Waluyo, said that a lack of money made
\nit difficult for the AGO to improve the recruitment system.<\/p>\n
Around Rp 200 million (US$20,000) was allocated each year for the
\nrecruitment process across the country, which he said was far
\nfrom being enough.<\/p>\n
Bambang also pointed out that Law No. 16\/2004 only allowed
\ncivil servants to apply for positions as prosecutors.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, if we were to advertise job vacancies in the media,
\nit would cost a lot of money, which we don't have,\" he said.<\/p>\n
As for the supervision system, another researcher, Meissy
\nSabardiah, said that most prosecutors failed to supervise their
\nsubordinates or to take firm actions against errant subordinates.<\/p>\n
In fact, most supervisors in Bali, Jakarta, Manado in North
\nSulawesi and Padang in West Sumatra were not qualified to serve
\nas supervisors as they lacked the necessary educational
\nbackground, she added.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the respondents said that they had never participated
\nin a training course or similar activity to prepare them for
\nsupervisory work,\" Meissy said.<\/p>\n
Deputy Attorney General for Supervision Ahmad Lopa, meanwhile,
\nsaid that prosecutors serving as inspectors general in the AGO
\ndid not need to undergo special training as they had generally
\nworked previously as provincial chief prosecutors.<\/p>\n
\"So, they are experienced enough to occupy such positions,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Lopa said that the AGO supervision division had always acted
\nquickly in processing complaints from members of the public.<\/p>\n
However, he added, most of the complaints were submitted by
\npeople using fake identities so they could not be acted upon.<\/p>",
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