Indonesia President-elect Prabowo promises higher salaries, improved benefits for judges amid nationwide strike

JAKARTA: Indonesia President-Elect Prabowo Subianto has promised to address the long-standing issues of judges’ stagnant salaries and welfare amid a nationwide strike pushing for higher wages. 
Mr Prabowo has pledged improvements to their pay and benefits, in a bid to curb corruption in the country. 
“The judges must be honourable and the state must provide them with sufficient income so that they are able to maintain their dignity. They shouldn’t need to seek additional income, that is my commitment,” Mr Prabowo said, as quoted by local media.
The 72-year-old was speaking via phone with Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad on Tuesday (Oct 8).
The current defence minister stressed that ensuring judges are immune to bribery is key to eradicating corruption in the country. 
“The key to a prosperous country that is free from corruption is judges that cannot be bribed. They must be strong, and we must give them the best possible conditions, that’s my promise” he insisted. 
Mr Prabowo’s phone call with Mr Dasco came during a meeting between the House of Representatives and the Indonesian Judges Union (SHI) at the parliament complex in Senayan, Jakarta. 
The House of Representatives is tasked with drafting new laws, approving national budgets and overseeing the executive branch.
During the meeting, various judges voiced their unhappiness over the lack of attention to their welfare.
SHI Coordinator Rangga Lukita Desnata for instance, highlighted that judges’ pay has been stagnant since 2012, calling it unjust.
“We are asking for fair and decent wages because judges carry great responsibility,” he added. 
Mr Rangga also highlighted that the judges’ salaries are in fact, lower than those in other civil service roles, creating dissatisfaction within the judiciary.
The base monthly salary for a first-year judge is 2 million rupiah (US$128.20), with significant allowances, bringing their total earnings to about 16.6 million rupiah per month.
According to data platform Statista, the average net monthly salary in Indonesia is around 3 million rupiah.
Another judge brought up how he was unable to return home to attend his mother’s funeral, due to financial difficulties.
“In 2020, I was down with COVID-19 and I also received news that my mother had passed away but I was unable to attend the funeral because of my financial situation,” he said while holding back his tears, local media platform Kumparan reported.
According to the Jakarta Globe, Indonesia has approximately 7,700 judges at district, provincial and national levels. 
During the call, Mr Dasco brought his mobile phone closer to the microphone to ensure that Mr Prabowo’s voice could be heard clearly by the judges, local media platform Kompas.com reported.
Addressing the judges, Mr Prabowo reiterated that he has long paid attention to the welfare of judges in the country. 
“I have always paid great attention to the judges,” he said, adding that he also hoped to be able to do a face-to-face meeting with them. 
Kompas reported that the judges responded to the phone call by giving a standing ovation. Some were reportedly seen to be moved to tears.
“This is not a promise, the (presidential) campaign is over so I don’t have to promise anything. This is my commitment, so I urge all of you (judges) to remain patient for a while.
“As soon as I officially take over and start my role, I will really pay attention to the judges,” said Mr Prabowo, as quoted in another local news outlet, Detiknews. 
“We must unite, with the strong supporting the weak to ensure our country prospers together. I was shocked by your situation but I am already planning how to improve it,” he reassured the judges, while stressing the importance of solidarity. 
Mr Prabowo will be sworn in on Oct 20 this year, alongside President Joko Widodo’s son, Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Thousands of judges participated in a nationwide strike which began on Monday, pushing for a wage increase of 142 per cent, citing inflation and the rising cost of living.
The Supreme Court however said that it was not a formal strike as it was only “coordinated leave” by members of the Indonesian Judges Union (SHI).
In response to this, Mr Widodo has confirmed that the issue is also currently under review by three ministries – the Ministry of Bureaucratic Reform, the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Human Rights and the Ministry of Finance. 
“All of this is still being studied and calculated by the ministries involved. The evaluation process is ongoing,” Mr Jokowi said, in a speech at the BNI Investor Daily Summit 2024 in Jakarta on Tuesday.
In an interview with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), Mr Prabowo’s brother, Mr Hashim Djohohadikusumo who is also the vice-chair of Mr Prabowo’s Gerindra Party also touched on the new government’s quest to improve the welfare of law enforcement agencies.
“Judges in Indonesia are grossly, grossly underpaid and what we want to do is to actually remove the causes or the necessity of being corrupt. My brother wants to alleviate that by increasing salaries and welfare benefits of the civil service, especially of law enforcement groups,” Mr Hashim said in the interview that was published on Oct 7. 
He added that the main structural obstacle in addressing poverty in the country is the bureaucracy.
“(In) the bureaucracy, corruption is still endemic and Jokowi has done a lot to combat it but we think we can do more,” said Mr Hashim.