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