Judicial Commission Needs More Authority
The plan to strengthen external monitoring in the draft judiciary bill should not be seen as an effort to undermine judges’ independence. Instead, it should be seen as a way to complement their independence with better accountability.
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Suspect Iswahyu Widodo, a judge of the South Jakarta District Court, wears a detainee jacket after being quizzed by investigators of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on Thursday (29/11/2018). Iswahyu and four other people were apprehended in an operation across South Jakarta. Iswahyu is believed to have accepted bribes in connection with a civil case he was handling.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The plan to strengthen external monitoring in the draft judiciary bill should not be seen as an effort to undermine judges’ independence. Instead, it should be seen as a way to complement their independence with better accountability. Strengthening external monitoring is aimed at sharing responsibility in managing the justice system, especially with regard to judges.
Judicial Commission chief Jaja Ahmad Jayus said in Jakarta on Friday that the core spirit of the draft judiciary bill was a sharing of responsibility. However, that concept should not be seen as merely a sharing of responsibility between agencies in the management of judicial bodies.