'Conflicting laws halt judicial reform'<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Chief Justice Bagir Manan said on Monday the country's failure to
\nspeed up reform within the judiciary was the result of
\nconflicting laws and regulations.<\/p>\n
Bagir said that the law making process was often dominated by
\na conflict of interests among influential groups.<\/p>\n
\"This situation has brought about contradictory and
\ninapplicable laws and regulations,\" he said in his key note
\nspeech at the opening of a seminar on corruption eradication
\norganized by the National Law Commission (KHN) here.<\/p>\n
The condition had worsened, he said, because both judges and
\nofficials in the court could not maintain their good image.<\/p>\n
Similarly, the police, state prosecutors, lawyers, immigration
\nofficials and officials of district courts struggled to win the
\nrespect of the public.<\/p>\n
Bagir disclosed that the House of Representatives would revise
\nlaws on the Supreme Court, State Administrative Court, Public
\nCourt, state prosecutors, and on the justice ministry.<\/p>\n
He said he expected the amendment would strengthen judicial
\nreform.<\/p>\n
After the seminar, Bagir said his office was preparing an \"ad
\nhoc court\" to hear corruption cases, which would be initiated in
\nCentral Jakarta.<\/p>\n
According to Bagir, his office had already identified judges
\nto be assigned to the ad hoc court.<\/p>\n
Also speaking in the seminar were chairman of Muhammadiyah
\nAchmad Syafii Maarif, sociologist Mely G. Tan, and rights
\nactivist Bambang Widjojanto.<\/p>\n
Syafii suggested that the nation emulate the tough policy of
\nthe Chinese government in dealing with corruption.<\/p>\n
\"Imposing stricter punishments on corrupters - like what the
\nChinese government is practicing - should be taken into
\nconsideration,\" he said, adding that the future of the nation
\ndepended on success in uprooting corruption.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim
\ngroups, have declared a moral movement against corruption.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Bambang said the failure of the nation to eradicate
\ncorruption was blamed on its inability to clearly describe
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
He suggested that acts of corruption be described in the
\nmother language of local people to avoid a gap between the
\npeople's perception and reality.<\/p>\n
Bambang said he saw no comprehensive enforcement of the
\nanticorruption law, therefore it could not serve as the pillar of
\ncorruption eradication.<\/p>\n
\"There is neither an action plan nor a blueprint for the
\ncorruption eradication drive. Also, there is no coordination
\namong state institutions,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Sociologist Mely G. Tan said corruption, just like other
\ncrimes, was triggered by both the presence of opportunity and the
\nintent of the individual.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/conflicting-laws-halt-judicial-reform-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}