Experts call for complete overhaul of Supreme Court

Experts call for complete overhaul of Supreme Court

JAKARTA (JP): Legal experts called for a complete overhaul of
the administration of the Supreme Court to increase the
effectiveness of the publicly tarnished body.

"We need people with credibility and integrity to replace
those in the Supreme Court... We do not believe them anymore,"
the chairman of the Indonesian Lawyers Union, Trimedya Panjaitan,
told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Trimedya's statement came as President Abdurrahman Wahid
proposed that former judge Benjamin Mangkoedilaga, a member of
the National Commission on Human Rights, should become the head
of the Supreme Court to replace Sarwata.

"I will ask him to hire the toughest people possible because
we need a strong legal system. Otherwise, it will be no different
from the past," Abdurrahman said of the court, which during the
32-year reign of Soeharto was viewed as an instrument of the
government.

Supreme Court officials, however, seem less than enthusiastic
with the proposal, arguing that the chief justice should be a
career judge and chosen from within the court.

The secretary-general of the Supreme Court, Pranowo, admitted
recently that a number of deputy chief judges said they would
feel uncomfortable if Benjamin was named chief justice because
they considered him their "junior".

Pranowo also said that several deputy chief judges "jokingly"
remarked that they would resign if the government named Benjamin
the chief justice.

Trimedya maintained that such statements were only a pretext
to protect vested interests in the Supreme Court.

"There is a strong impression that Benjamin is not wanted
there because he could be a threat to them."

Trimedya called on the House of Representatives to also
nominate Benjamin because Abdurrahman's proposal gained
widespread public support.

Benjamin made headlines in 1995 when he ruled against the
government's decision to shut down the Tempo newsweekly. A ruling
in defiance of the government's wishes was unprecedented at the
time.

Tempo eventually lost the case when the Supreme Court ruled in
favor of the closure ordered by the information ministry.

Earlier in the day, a legislator from the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle, Amin Arjoso, also supported the
proposal that the post of chief justice not be the exclusive
right of career judges.

He told the discussion that noncareer judges would not be a
problem as long as the candidate displayed an "unquestionable
track record". (byg)