Courts top the list of public complaints

JAKARTA (JP): People still place courts on top of the list of state institutions which perform poorly as 58 percent of those who lodge complaints with the National Ombudsmen Commission perceive that the courts have not been able to make a just decision.

National Ombudsmen Commission chairman, Antonius Sujata, revealed the results of data collected in the period between January and June this year at a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission II here on Tuesday.

"We have not been able to conclude that the data always indicates the poor performance of our courts, but we can say that the majority of those who lodge complaints with the National Ombudsmen Commission are not happy with the courts' decisions," Antonius said.

Other state institutions which received significant complaints from the public include the prosecution services, the police, the National Agrarian Agency, regional administrations and the Indonesian Military.

The National Ombudsmen Commission was established based on a decree issued by former president Abdurrahman Wahid with the aim of addressing public complaints over the performance of state institutions.

The commission has the right to seek clarification from offices or courts that are the target of the complaints. But it is not authorized to make a legally binding decision.

Antonius said although his commission had no jurisdiction to make a legal decision, judges felt that they were monitored by the commission.

"Several judges even told parties which were not happy with their decision to lodge a complaint with the National Ombudsmen Commission," Antonius added.

Antonius said that the majority of those lodging the complaints expressed disappointment over decisions made by the district courts, but there were also other complaints dealing with decisions made by the high courts and even the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Sumaryati Hartono, one of the commission's members, said that even though the commission had no authority to make any decision in certain cases, it was authorized to seek clarification from government offices and courts.

She added that the lack of authority was not necessarily a weaknesses, but could also be considered a strength as the commission has the right to seek clarification.

"The offices or courts had reflected on the issues when we sought clarification because our questions have led to indications [of irregularities]," said Sumaryati.

Therefore, she added, that the ombudsmen commission has made a significant contribution to the fight against collusion, corruption and nepotistic practices.

Also present at the hearing was Soehadibroto, a member of the National Law Commission. The representatives of both the law and ombudsmen commissions said the government only allocated funds for their routine expenses, while they depended on funds from donor institutions for additional expenses.

This year, for example, the government allocated Rp 796 million (US$83,789) for the National Law Commission and another Rp 795 million for the National Ombudsmen Commission.

Antonius also said that each member of his commission received Rp 2.5 million as a monthly honorarium.

Responding to a question from a legislator, Soehadibroto said that the commission could carry out its daily duties if it was supported by funds from foreign donor institutions. (02)