Six chief justice candidates undergo final selection
Six chief justice candidates undergo final selection
JAKARTA (JP): Six candidates for Supreme Court chief justice
undergoing a final test by the Commission II of the House of
Representatives on Wednesday, pledged to improve the poor image
of the Supreme Court, by among other things, dismissing bad
supreme court justices.
Questioned one by one on an alphabetic basis, the chief
justices were asked various questions from the members of
Commission II, dealing with domestic and legal affairs, on their
vision if they were elected Supreme Court chief justice.
However, Commission II chairman Amin Aryoso asked all the
candidates for their comments about Daniel S. Lev's statement
that reforming the Supreme Court meant dismissing all the current
supreme court justices.
Daniel S. Lev is an American expert on Indonesia.
President Abdurrahman Wahid's preference Benjamin
Mangkoedilaga agreed that dismissing unscrupulous chief justices
was part of internal reform agenda in the Supreme Court.
"However, if all the chief justices fail fair and appropriate
tests, and the people want them all to be dismissed, why not?"
Benjamin said.
He stressed the judge's morality was the key to reform the
Supreme Court, not their salary and facilities.
If he was elected to head the Supreme Court, he would start
with 'repairing' the system and, at the same time, selecting
'good' chief justices.
"I promise I'll do my best in reforming the Supreme Court
within two years," said the 63-year old Benjamin, who, according
to the law, should retire in two years.
Benjamin gained popularity in 1995 when, as the presiding
judge at the Jakarta State Administrative Court, he favored Tempo
magazine in the case against the government over the government's
ban.
Conscience
Another candidate, a Bandung-based constitutional law
professor Bagir Manan disagreed with Daniel S. Lev's idea, saying
that not all chief justice are bad. "Some of them still have
common sense and a good conscience."
Artidjo Alkostar, another candidate from Yogyakarta, supported
Bagir's view that some of the current 51 chief justices should
retain their posts as they were good enough.
Artidjo, former chief of the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute
(LBH), won full support from his former institute.
In its letter on Wednesday to the central board of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), LBH
Yogyakarta urged that the party's faction at the House name
Artidjo as chief justice.
Meanwhile, Muladi, another candidate from the Golkar Party,
told the House that he preferred reforming the Supreme Court
through a systemic approach, to dismissing chief justices.
"The Supreme Court has been suffering damage in its working
system, so it needs a new approach to mend it," said Muladi who
was former Justice Minister during former president Soeharto and
Habibie's term of office.
The Wednesday hearing was attended by several noted lawyers,
including Muladi's aides Hotma Sitompul, Ruhut Sitompul and Tommy
Sihotang who grouped in a defense team of the Indonesian Military
(TNI)/Police in human right abuses case in East Timor.
About 200 people, mostly East Timorese, wearing yellow head
bands reading "Vote for Muladi" went to the House. Some of them
sat on the balcony in the room where the House members questioned
the six candidates.
Muladi, Benjamin, Bagir and Artidjo were 'outsiders', who were
installed as supreme justices in July while the remaining
candidates Soeharto and Tonton were all Supreme Court career
justices.
The House will have to select the best two out of the six on
Dec. 5 and refer them to the President, who has the prerogative
to select the best one. (jun/23/44)