Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta – Have you ever complained about the police? You are certainly not the only one, as public complaints against the police hit a record high at the National Ombudsman Commission in 2005, a record previously held by district courts.
Commission chairman Antonius Sujata said his office received 217 written complaints about the police force's poor service, which accounted for 21 percent of all the 1,008 letters of complaint sent to the ombudsman, the highest in a single year.
"In 2005, the police outdid the judiciary in terms of upsetting people," he said. Courts have topped the list since the ombudsman's inception in 2000.
Through the end of 2004, the ombudsman received 4,373 letters of complaint, 35 percent of which were connected with courts, 9 percent for the police, 6 percent with prosecutor's office, 8 percent with local administrations, 5 percent with the National Land Agency (BPN) and the rest with other state institutions.
In 2005, most complaints filed against the police were directed at the provincial and precinct police departments, most of them concerned the police's sluggish service, discriminatory treatment and procedural violations.
Despite being the main target of complaints, the police have always followed the ombudsman's recommendations, compared to the Supreme Court, which has been resistant to advice.
When conveying public complaints to designated institutions, the ombudsman always attaches its recommendations on how to settle the cases. "The government shall focus more on eradicating corruption through empowerment of supporting institutions in 2006," Antonius said.
More complaints have been reported to the ombudsman from year to year. Antonius said the positive trend was a result of the opening of ombudsman representative offices in Yogyakarta and Kupang and the commission's intensive activities to promote itself to the public.
The ombudsman was established under a presidential decree in 2000 in a bid to help promote good governance. Many have suggested that the ombudsman be granted an authority to conduct investigations into reported abuses of power.
In countries where the function of ombudsmen has long been institutionalized, its independence and the legal basis guaranteeing that independence is very solid.
But in Indonesia, the ombudsman's duties are limited only to conveying the results of an investigation into complaints it receives to the related state agencies for further follow up.
According to the presidential decree, the ombudsman is authorized to "clarify, monitor or investigate based on public reports about state organizations, especially the implementation by the government apparatus, including law enforcement bodies during their public service."
It is also stipulates that the aims of the new body is to create a favorable environment for the nationwide drive against corruption, along with the protection of the rights of the general public in receiving pubic services, justice and better welfare.
The House of Representatives has agreed to deliberate on an upcoming ombudsman bill that may give the body more power.