House Commission II: Ombudsman Replacement Not Required to Follow Fit and Proper Test Ranking
The Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) has determined the interim replacement (PAW) for Ombudsman RI member Hery Susanto for the 2026-2031 term. Deputy Chairman of House Commission II, Bahtra Banong, stated that the selection of the replacement member is not required to follow the ranking order from the fit and proper test.
‘Regarding the Ombudsman, the law does not regulate the ranking order of who will replace a member through PAW. So, during our meeting at Commission II yesterday, we had to have a legal basis,’ Bahtra said at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday (22/7/2026).
Bahtra explained that no article mandates that an interim replacement must be based on the ranking order of the fit and proper test. He stressed that there is no clause governing this matter. ‘We then investigated, and it turns out there is not a single article stating that the replacement for a PAW, in the event of a permanent impediment, must be the next in the ranking order. There is no clause regulating that,’ he said.
Bahtra mentioned that his commission has already sent the name of the replacement member for Hery Susanto, who is implicated in a bribery case at the Attorney General’s Office, to the House leadership. ‘Just check with the DPR leadership. We have already sent the name to the DPR leadership,’ Bahtra stated.
Bahtra did not answer whether the replacement member is Wahidah Suaib. He noted that the consideration for Hery’s replacement is the authority of House Commission II, based on the fit and proper test. ‘Just check with the leadership,’ Bahtra replied regarding the possibility of the replacement being Wahidah. ‘Of course, the names submitted have been received by the DPR, and the DPR selects, meaning Commission II has the authority. Then, who is the most suitable is based on the results of the fit and proper test previously conducted by Commission II. So the consideration is purely from the fit and proper test,’ he added.
Previously, the DPR RI formalised the interim replacement for the Ombudsman RI member for the 2026-2031 term. Hery Susanto, who served as Ombudsman Chairman, is entangled in a bribery case at the Attorney General’s Office. The ratification of the replacement was held during a plenary session at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday (21/7/2026). The session was chaired by House Speaker Puan Maharani and attended by 291 members.
‘In connection with this, the leadership of Commission II has conveyed the results of the discussion on the selection and appointment of the interim replacement member of the Ombudsman RI for the 2026-2031 term at the consultation meeting replacing the DPR Deliberative Body meeting on 20 July 2026,’ Puan said.
The list of Ombudsman RI members for 2026-2031 includes Hery Susanto as Chairman, Rahmadi Indra Tektona as Vice Chairman, and members Abdul Ghoffar, Fikri Yasin, Maneger Nasution, Nuzran Joher, Partono, Robertus Na Endi Jaweng, and Syafrida Rachmawati Rasahan. The nine reserve candidates from the fit and proper test are Wahidah Suaib, Radian Syam, I Gusti Ngurah Agung Yuliarta Endrawan, Muhammad Nurkhoiron, Nazir Salim Manik, Faisal Amir, AH Maftuchan, Dian Rubianty, and Asnifriyanti Damanik.