Prabowo: Judicial Independence Is No Excuse to Evade Ethical Oversight
President Prabowo Subianto has emphasised that strengthening the judiciary must go hand in hand with accountability for judges. In his address at the Annual Session of the MPR and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD in Jakarta on Friday (14/8), Prabowo stated that judicial independence must not become an excuse to escape oversight and accountability for ethical violations.
“We must uphold the rule of law and judicial independence. The government continues to strive to improve the standard of living of judges. But independence does not mean judges are without accountability,” said President Prabowo.
Prabowo presented data from the Judicial Commission (KY), which received 1,402 public reports and 622 requests for trial monitoring between January and June 2026. From that number, the KY has proposed sanctions against 121 judges found to have violated the code of ethics, comprising 14 moderate sanctions and 17 severe sanctions.
Regarding welfare, the government has significantly increased judges’ remuneration. For junior judges, the increase reached 280 percent, claimed to be the highest rise in several decades. Prabowo said the income of junior judges in Indonesia is now above the ASEAN average, and the income of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Indonesia is reported to be higher than that of the Chief Justice of Singapore.
On the performance side, the Supreme Court recorded productivity of 99.54 percent throughout 2025, deciding 37,973 cases out of a total of 38,148 cases. A total of 96.74 percent of cases were resolved in less than three months. “In truth, justice delayed is injustice prolonged,” Prabowo stressed, appreciating the achievement.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court (MK) has decided 598 cases as of 23 July 2026, including disputes over regional election results. Prabowo also praised the digitalisation of MK services, with 84.51 percent of applications submitted online, making access easier for the public from all corners of Indonesia.
In addition to the judiciary, the President also highlighted the achievement of the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK), which succeeded in saving state finances amounting to Rp112 trillion in 2025. In the legislative sector, the DPR and the government have enacted 13 bills as of July 2026, including Law Number 2 of 2026 on the Protection of Domestic Workers.
Closing his speech, Prabowo stressed that the courts are the last bastion of justice. He committed to ensuring the rule of law applies to all levels of society, especially those in the most vulnerable positions.