Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is implementing bureaucratic reforms halfheartedly, Gadjah Mada University's Indonesian Judiciary Supervisory Community (MAPPI) said Monday. The Attorney General has had reform plans since 2005, during the tenure of Abdurrahman Saleh," MAPPI chairman Hasril Hertanto said Monday.
"Abdurrahman announced 12 priority programs, including the reformation of the AGO's management, recruitment and promotion process and many other areas."
Hasril was speaking at a press conference reviewing the AGO's performance ahead of the offices' 49th anniversary on Wednesday.
The current attorney general, Hendarman Supandji, subsequently launched his own bureaucratic reform measures on July 22, 2007.
Hendarman's reforms apparently focus on improving the AGO's recruitment and career development mechanisms, training programs, code of conduct, standards and methods of supervision.
"Unfortunately, the programs have yet to be properly implemented within the institution," Hasril said. "This has led many of the nation's prosecutors to believe the programs are aimed only at officials who work at AGO headquarters, and not them."
Therefore, Hasril said, corruption continues to run rampant in judicial systems across the nation. "Other reform promises have yet to materialize, including the improvement of prosecutors' remuneration, which has further demoralized prosecutors."
He also pointed out that promotion mechanisms, which emphasize seniority and familial relationships – and not performance or ability – remain a problem. "The AGO has developed a family empire," he said.
Emerson Yuntho of the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) expressed similar concerns, saying the Attorney General has made a "half-hearted commitment to bureaucratic reform within his office and this has only materialized by a quarter of a heart".
He also criticized AGO officials, who he said did not support the reform program. "They do not realize that the programs are for the improvement of their own performance," Emerson said.
There have been dozens of corruption cases involving AGO officials over the years.
Among the more high-profile was a major bribery case involving senior prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan, who was sentenced to a 20-year jail term; prosecutor Rakhmawati Utami's accusations that Prita Mulyasari violated the controversial Information and Electronic Transaction Law, only for her to be later acquitted as well as prosecutors Esther Tanak and Dara Veranita's alleged misuse of court evidence in a drug case.
Except for Urip's suspension, none of these tainted prosecutors have been reprimanded by AGO headquarters.
"The President, as the direct superior of the Attorney General, is supposed to evaluate the performance of the AGO so that he can determine whether the incumbent attorney general has done his duty well or not," Emerson said.
Considering the AGO's recent performance, Hasril said Hendarman had not successfully reformed the AGO and that his efforts represented near total failure.
"The AGO reform programs can be considered successful only when people receive better legal services, when corruption is brought to a minimum and with the presence of a better and fairer mechanism for promotions for prosecutors.
"We expect the AGO can use these criticisms as something to reflect on as it commemorates its 49th anniversary," he said.