Bandung to have Ombudsman Commission
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.