Dicky Christanto, Jakarta – The law championing access to public information was implemented a month ago is almost impossible to enforce because the government has not made available much needed funds, human resources and facilities.
Members of the Information Commission have complained about not being paid and a lack of supporting government regulations needed to specify provisions in the laws to make them applicable.
Commission member Dono Prasetyo said that the unpaid salary forced him to moonlight as a speaker at various seminars to make ends meet. "It's not that much, but enough to get by and cover my transport cost," he told the told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He said even he was still in the dark about the amount of his remuneration as a commissioner because the government had not yet announced the remuneration system.
"We have consulted with the Ombudsman Commission and we were told that the range of remuneration for a state commissioner was between Rp 12 million and Rp 20 million. But to date we haven't heard an official announcement about this from the government," he said.
He claimed he hadn't been paid since he and fellow commissioners were installed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year. To make matters worse, the commissioners had not been equipped with proper support staff, which often hampered the commission's function.
"I only hope the administration pays serious attention to the problem because we are all well aware that our situation could tempt us to turn to corrupt practices," he said.
This situation is commonplace with newly established institutions due to a lack of human resources management and planning. Several years ago, replacement judges from the Corruption Court also complained of their salaries not being paid.
President Yudhoyono installed seven commissioners in June last year in preparation of implementing the 2008 Law on Access to Public Information. Led by Achmad Alamsyah Saragih, the commission comprises representatives from civil society groups and the government.
The commission's main job is to settle any dispute that may occur between those who demand transparency and public institutions that have the information. The commission is obliged to determine whether the information should be considered classified or public.
Those unsatisfied with the commission's decision could file a complaint with the district court and appeal to the Supreme Court if it is unresolved.
According to Saragih, the government has provided a budget of Rp 12.5 billion since the commission's establishment to support the its day-to-day operations.
He added that a building in outskirt area of Meruya, West Jakarta, owned by the of Communications and Information Ministry, has also been made available for the commission. "Considering the risk our job involves, I really hope we are able to move to an area with better access and security," he said.
He said that better security systems were a must because they would be dealing with official documents from state institutions. "Security system is vital to safeguard the lives of commissioners when we are handling high-profile and potentially inflammatory cases."