Open selection of justices demanded

Open selection of justices demanded

JAKARTA: The Coalition of Judicial Observers has urged the
House of Representatives to be transparent when testing
candidates for recruitment at the Supreme Court.

"Clear and fair parameters in a fit-and-proper test are needed
for the House to have better judgment on the quality and the
integrity of the candidates of Supreme Court justices,"
Firmansyah Arifin, the coordinator of the coalition, told a media
conference on Monday.

Parameters should include a candidate's wealth report from the
Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission, which could be used by
the House to find out whether the candidate is corrupt or not, as
well as people's comments, reports and complaints about the
candidate, he said.

The parameters should also take a candidate's academic works
like books, thesis and academic speeches into account, as well as
track record in his or her court career, he said.

Aside from the parameters, an ad hoc committee comprising
independent senior judges, lawyers, prosecutors, ombudsman
committee members and other relevant professionals was needed to
assist the House in screening candidates, he said. -- JP