Parties lack commitment to legal reform

JAKARTA: Judicial reform following the downfall of the authoritarian New Order regime in 1998 has yet to produce a significant result due to a lack of commitment from political parties, a discussion concluded.

"Legal reform in legislation and its application is disappointing," Firmansyah Arifin of the National Legal Reform Consortium (KRHN) said on Wednesday.

He said House of Representatives legislators failed to produce credible legislation while law enforcers failed to implement them.

"Political parties must propose a real agenda on legal reform so it can materialize," Firmansyah said.

Mardjono Reksodiputro, the secretary of the National Law Commission (KHN), suggested that political parties cooperate with legal institutions to improve the country's laws. -- JP