Bandung to have Ombudsman Commission
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
West Java's capital Bandung will establish an Ombudsman Commission following findings that public trust of the mayoralty administration is very low.
"Once the Ombudsman Commission is established, Bandung will be the first city to have such a commission in the country," Bandung Development Planning Board secretary Kamalia Purbani said here on Thursday.
She said that surveys indicated most people no longer trusted the mayoralty administration.
"Public response reported by local media underlines the fact that people's respect for the administration has been fading away," she added.
The idea to form the Ombudsman Commission was approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Ombudsman Commission, Kamalia said.
The Ministry of Home Affairs selected Bandung for the pilot project of establishing a commission at the regional or mayoralty level, she said.
"The pilot project will consume some Rp 400 million, 75 percent of which will be derived from World Bank aid. The World Bank aid was provided because Bandung won an urban innovation award," Kamalia said.
Through an open tender process, the World Bank appointed Bandung Institute of Governance Studies (BIGS) as consultant in this project, she said.
"BIGS won an open tender and the seven-member consultancy team will draft a bylaw on the Ombudsman Commission's mission and status in the mayoralty," Kamalia said.
She said the Ombudsman Commission would be in trial operation by no later than January 2002.
"Now the team of consultants are selecting the right people to sit on the commission. The commission will be in trial operation for a year, but will not be disbanded, even if it fails."
In a related development, BIGS member Haneda Sri Lastoto said that the team would seek testimonies regarding public opinion of services provided by the administration.
"The testimonies will be very important for the consultant to determine whether an Ombudsman Commission is needed or not.
Citing a recent survey conducted by the University of Pasundan, Haneda said public complaints had steadily increased to 42 percent from year to year.
"The most alarming thing, according to the survey, was that 63 percent of the complaints were repeated grievances. This means that the response to public complaints is very poor."
She said that most of the complaints were about the quality of tap water (PDAM) and the bureaucratic processes when applying for identification cards.
"We assume there are systemic problems in the public service and, so far, the public complaints and disappointment have never been properly channeled."
"Legally, the establishment of an Ombudsman Commission at the regional level is valid, based on Paragraph 2, Article 29 of the National Ombudsman Commission bill. The Ombudsman Commission (in Bandung) will not overlap with the mayoralty legislature," Haneda said.