Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The Judicial Commission (KY) proposed to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Thursday that the retirement age of Supreme Court Justices remain at 65 years, as stipulated under current law.
The Supreme Court put forth a bill, under deliberation at the House of Representatives, which allows the retirement age be extended to 70 years.
Commission member Chatamarrasyid said his office opposed the government's proposal to extend the retirement age to 70 years as spelled out in the draft revision of the 2004 Supreme Court law.
"We told the President 65 years is the most suitable retirement age for justices because people usually become less productive after 64," he said after meeting with Yudhoyono at the presidential office in Jakarta.
The term extension has sparked strong public objections because it may hinder reforms considered necessary within the Supreme Court, which is deemed as one of the country's more corrupt institutions.
Chatamarrasyid said limits on judges' tenures should be set because they are only elected once, making it difficult for the public to evaluate their performance. "Besides, we are not a country with a common-law legal system, which allows justices to serve for life," he added.
Presidential adviser on legal affairs Denny Indrayana said Yudhoyono would be "flexible" about accepting the commission's proposal and would leave the matter to the ongoing deliberation in the House.
During the meeting with Yudhoyono, the commission also asked that the required size of the candidate pool be reduced in the selection of Supreme Court judges.
The current system applies the ratio 3:1, meaning that three candidates should be proposed for each vacancy. "We think the ideal ratio is 2:1 because it's hard to find qualified candidates for the Supreme Court," said another commission member, Mustafa Abdullah.
Commission chair Busyro Muqoddas said Supreme Court justices must exhibit the highest integrity, be professional and be unblemished by any past corruption cases. The commission is currently conducting the selection process for Supreme Court justices. Out of 24 candidates needed for eight judgeships, it has only proposed 13.