UN probe into Indonesian judiciary likely to up pressure on government
UN probe into Indonesian judiciary likely to up pressure on government
Berni K. Mustafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Legal experts have welcomed the presence of the United Nations'
special rapporteur on the Indonesian judicial system, saying it
should increase the pressure for legal reform amid mounting
criticism that the government is not doing enough.
Achmad Ali, a legal expert from Hasanudin University in
Makassar, said the arrival of the UN special rapporteur here
underlined international concern over the prevailing legal
uncertainty in Indonesia.
"At least we can expect more pressure on the government to
improve Indonesia's legal system," he told reporters on Thursday.
The government invited UN special rapporteur Param Cumaraswamy
to spend 10 days here assessing the country's judicial system.
But according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was the UN
that initiated the visit.
Achmad said the poor state of Indonesia's judicial system was
undeniable and could not be kept hidden from the world.
Asked whether the UN may be losing confidence in Indonesia's
legal reforms, he answered, "I would say we have to accept this
as a sad fact."
Cumaraswamy in his first comments after arriving here on
Monday said that Indonesia's judicial system was in serious
trouble. He said he expected to conclude his visit with
recommendations for the government.
But lawyer Frans Hendra Winata said the government may lack
the political will to actually follow up on any UN
recommendations.
"The political will of this and the previous government has
not been very apparent. Do they really want to uphold the law?"
he asked.
Teten Masduki, a member of the National Ombudsman Commission
and chairman of Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), was
pessimistic about the government's response to the possible UN
suggestions.
The problem, he said, was not so much whether Indonesia could
reform its judicial system but how strong the commitment to do
this was.
"Political corruption is getting worse and that's why there is
no political commitment to fix it; politicians need to keep
corruption going in order to maintain power."
However, he said the international community had a stake in
ensuring the law was upheld in Indonesia, especially foreign
investors.
He added that Indonesia risked isolation from the
international business community if the government failed to act
on the UN recommendations. "The terms for foreign loans will also
become stricter."