Court websites vital to improve transparency
AIPJ has supported transparency and access to court information through a survey of 832 court websites (including the High Courts and Supreme Courts) throughout Indonesia.
Public institutions are obliged to provide information that is easily accessible by the public. This is in accordance with laws and regulations of freedom of public information, predominantly the Law on Freedom of Information (Law No. 14 of 2008), the Law on Public Services (Law No. 25 of 2009) and the Supreme Court Internal Regulation on Public Information in Courts (SK 1-144 of 2011). One of communication platforms used by the courts to provide such information is their website.
The website survey examined various aspects of court websites, including information on the structure, jurisdiction, procedures of proceedings, fees, complaint mechanisms, and the rights of justice seekers or parties in dispute. For the Supreme Court, the information that was assessed included the availability of recruitment announcements and processes for staff, judges, and Supreme Court judges, as well as decisions, annual reports, and strategic plans.
Overall, there is an increase in the total number of court websites from 699 in 2010 to 751 in 2013.However, the content of these sites still requires continuous improvement. The survey found a low-rate of compliance to the Supreme Court Internal Regulation (SK 1-144) due to the fact that the Regulation is recently renewed and the courts are still adjusting to the new requirements. The survey findings recommend that the Supreme Court set a standard for the layout and the content of court websites for easy access, and to establish ‘reward and punishment’ for compliance of the regulation in relation to court websites. Other recommendations included the need to use the official domain for government websites (go.id) and to ensure that websites are accessible for all, including people with disability.
The results of the survey have been positively received by the directorates within the Supreme Courts. In particular, the Director of the Religious Court will use the results to give an award for the lower court with the best website.
“The survey is a collaborative work between many stakeholders to continue to provide better services and access to justice seekers,” said Binziad Kadafi, Senior Manager of Court Reform and Access to Justice. “We highly appreciate the work of the Supreme Court, High Courts and Lower Courts in four jurisdictions throughout Indonesia, who relentlessly strive to provide quality services and information for justice seekers,” he added.
