Kurniawan Hari and Oktovianus Pinontoan, The Jakarta
Post, Jakarta/Ambon
A group of senior judges are gearing up for a mission to Ambon,
the capital of restive Maluku province, where they are expected to
deal with 106 unfinished legal cases.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said
on Monday the experienced judges would wait until the Attorney
General's Office (AGO) had completed the dossiers related to the
cases before going.
Yusril said the judges would be withdrawn to Jakarta as soon as
the legal proceedings finish.
"There are 106 cases that will be presented by the
Attorney General's Office to the court (in Ambon) and we will send
judges there," Yusril told reporters after a hearing with
House Commission II for law, human rights and home affairs here.
Law enforcement has been crippled in Maluku following three
years of sectarian conflict, which has left over 6,000 dead and
hundreds of thousands displaced.
Violence has continued to take place despite a peace deal
signed by the warring groups in February.
Yusril said the senior judges would accompany six newly
recruited judges in Ambon, who had no experience in presiding over
trials.
"Therefore the tasks (to preside over trials) will be
conducted by the senior judges," Yusril said.
The number of Ambon-bound judges remains undecided, according
to the minister.
The six newly recruited judges were among 121 fresh judges
assigned in 2001 and 2002 to the three conflict-ridden areas of
Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya (Papua).
"The presidential decree has just been issued and they are
already in Ambon now," the Ministry's Director General for
Ordinary and State Administrative Court, Suyatno, told The
Jakarta Post.
Both Yusril and Suyatno acknowledged that the rotation of
judges was a sensitive issue which could spark protest from those
affected.
"If they are unhappy with their new posts, they are likely
to quit and circulate various rumors," Yusril said.
Suyatno added that many judges in certain district courts had
in the past declined a proposed promotion to the high court for
financial reasons.
He admitted that based on the current remuneration scheme,
promotion to a high court did not mean a salary increase for
district court judges.
"Some chief judges or deputy judges in district courts
have turned down promotion because they will receive less pay
after tax," Suyatno said, adding that his ministry was
proposing a decree that would guarantee a salary hike for promoted
judges.
Based on the proposed decree, Suyatno said, four-echelon judges
will receive an increase of between Rp 3.5 million and Rp 4.25
million in their monthly salaries if they are moved to high
courts.
"At the moment there are many judges asking for promotion
to the high court," said Suyatno.
Legislator Tahir Saimima of the United Development Party (PPP),
who is a native of Ambon, said the trend reflected judges'
attitude toward money.
Meanwhile, Vice President Hamzah Haz is slated to arrive in
Ambon on Tuesday at 11:20 a.m. local time for a six-hour visit.
Many consider the visit controversial because the Vice
President will also take with him 76 security guards.
Hamzah's entourage will include the new Indonesian Military
chief, Gen. Endriartono Sutarto, National Police chief Gen. Da'i
Bachtiar and several ministers.
Hamzah plans to visit Soya village, where seven Christians were
killed late in April, and Kebun Cengkeh, the stronghold of Laskar
Jihad Muslim hardliners.