DPR warns government over Chief Justice post

DPR warns government over Chief Justice post

JAKARTA (JP): House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Akbar
Tandjung warned the government on Wednesday not to seek
candidates for the Supreme Court Chief Justice outside of those
proposed by the House.

The House has nominated justices Muladi and Bagir Manan for
the post.

"The government should not try to forward any names other than
these two names for the post. Their (Muladi and Bagir Manan's)
candidacies for the post must not be ignored," Akbar told
reporters before attending the swearing-in ceremony for the new
Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Taufik, at the presidential
palace.

Antara quoted Akbar as saying that if the government tried to
forward any other name, the House legislators would not
necessarily process the necessary work since "the two candidates
(Muladi and Bagir) are considered the best on the list."

He added that if Gus Dur had managed to appoint Taufik as
Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, then he should also be
able to select one of the two candidates the House has forwarded,
that is to say either Muladi or Bagir Manan.

Separately, Secretary-general of the United Development Party
(PPP) Ali Marwan Hanan asked Gus Dur on Wednesday to soon appoint
the new Supreme Court chief.

"The grounds provided by the President that the two candidates
(Muladi and Bagir) are related to the New Order regime is no
longer relevant.

"Honestly, it's difficult to find people who have no
connection at all with the past (New Order) government," Ali, who
is the party's faction chairman in the House, told reporters.

He took the view that the President had only installed Taufik
as Deputy Chief Justice but refused to choose between Muladi and
Bagir Manan due to the fact that both of these were associated
with the New Order.

However, he predicted that sooner or later the President would
choose one of the two candidates.

"The President has no constitutional grounds on which to
reject both candidates," Ali, who is also a member of House
Commission II which had earlier selected the candidates, said.

Ali argued that based on Law No. 14/1985 on the Supreme Court,
the President must choose one of the two candidates proposed by
the House.

He said that the word "selecting" as used in the 1985 Law
meant that the President could not opt to reject all of the
candidates recommended by the House.

Muladi was a justice minister under former president Soeharto
and a minister/state secretary under former president Bacharuddin
Jusuf Habibie, while Bagir was a former director-general at the
justice ministry.

Meanwhile, Crescent Star Party (PBB) legislator M.S. Ka'ban
questioned the President's move in only appointing a Deputy Chief
Justice.

"Why should he (Abdurrahman) only install a Deputy Chief
Justice. The President should also have installed the new Chief
Justice at the same time," Ka'ban said.

He asked that Gus Dur soon explain why he had only appointed a
Deputy Chief Justice and seemed to be trying to sabotage the
appointment of a Chief Justice. (ylt/jun)