Op-ed: Changes to constitutional court will erode judicial independence in Indonesia

The fourth amendment to the 2003 Constitutional Court Law is about to be added to the growing list of bills that, despite much public backlash, are to be passed into law under the administration of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The proposed amendments will likely chip away at the judiciary’s independence and thus leave it vulnerable to political influences. Revisions to the law include reducing the tenure of the court’s justices from 15 to 10 years. Justices that have held office for more than five years but less than 10 years must undergo evaluation to extend their terms in office, which also requires the approval of their appointing institutions, including the president and the House of Representatives. [ . . . ] The court’s independence will surely erode if this bill is ratified. Not only will the justices become more compliant in order to pass their evaluation, but it will also give the government and the House the leeway to act in their own interests in appointing justices to the court.
Read the full article here: Jakarta Post