MA to tackle local heads impeachment

MA to tackle local heads impeachment

JAKARTA: Although Supreme Court (MA) chief Bagir Manan opposes
a stipulation in the amended autonomy law that allows impeachment
of regional executive heads directly elected by locals, he said
on Friday that his office will issue a ruling on this matter.

Bagir said the regulation will set out the mechanism of
impeachment process at the court.

"It's the mandate of the law. We must implement it," he told
journalists at his office in Central Jakarta.

Bagir said that court hearings for impeachment cases would be
open to public because it is a sensitive political issue.

He earlier said that impeachment cases of regional heads are
supposedly settled by local councils and the Supreme Court should
not be given this duty as it has been struggling to finish nearly
20,000 backlog cases. -- JP