Courts top the list of public complaints

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)