House Of Representatives Commission III: The Increase In Judges' Salaries Must Be Accompanied By Judicial Reform

Illustration of the DPR Building of the MPR Senayan Jakarta. (Between)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission III of the DPR RI, Abdullah emphasized that President Prabowo Subianto's policy of increasing the judge's salary by up to 280 percent must be accompanied by reform of the judiciary.

Although this increase is a strategic step that can strengthen the integrity and welfare of the judiciary, according to him, strict supervision needs to be carried out to create a clean and independent judiciary.

"Commission III of the DPR supports the government's efforts to improve the welfare of judges so that judges can carry out their duties professionally and are free from economic pressure," Abdullah told reporters, Wednesday, October 22.

"However, this salary increase must be accompanied by a strong monitoring system and comprehensive improvements within the judiciary," he continued.

Abdullah agreed with President Prabowo's view that the integrity of judges is determined from their respective personal values. "Integrities are not only formed by economic factors, but also by consistent system of values, ethics, and enforcement of internal discipline," he said.

Therefore, Abdullah supports President Prabowo's efforts to improve the quality of judges. However, he emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability in allocating the budget related to the policy.

"A significant increase in salary must pay attention to the country's fiscal balance, and ensure that similar policies do not cause gaps between other law enforcement professions such as prosecutors, clerks, and law enforcement officers at the lower level who also have a big responsibility in the justice system," he explained.

Abdullah also reminded that eradicating corruption in the judicial sector is not enough just to increase salaries, but requires strengthening the culture of integrity, improving the recruitment system, and transparency of decisions so that public trust in judicial institutions can increase.

High salary should not be the only moral guarantee. Judicial reform must be carried out comprehensively and sustainably so that every judge, from the first level to the Supreme Court, truly stands above the principles of justice and legal conscience," Abdullah stressed.

According to the member of the House of Representatives Law Commission, President Prabowo's move was a positive start towards improving the world of justice. However, Abdullah said, it still needs to be monitored so that this policy does not stop at the aspect of welfare alone.

"This policy must be part of a comprehensive transformation to create a clean, authoritative, and reliable justice system," said the legislator from the Central Java VI electoral district.

"And of course it takes high awareness and integrity from all judges to bring the justice system in Indonesia to a better direction for the sake of legal justice for all Indonesian people," Abdullah said.

As is known, President Prabowo Subianto issued a policy of increasing the judge's salary by 280 percent. With this policy, Prabowo wants the judges' lives to be of higher quality, honorable, and cannot be bribed.

In his speech at the plenary cabinet meeting, Monday, October 20, President Prabowo emphasized that judges should not be bought by anyone because they sometimes handle trillions of rupiah cases.

Prabowo also mentioned the Attorney General's Office (AGO) which returned Rp. 13,255 trillion in confiscated money from a corruption case related to crude palm oil (CPO) whose case involved the judge's cheating practice. According to him, the policy to raise the judge's salary will bear positive fruit.