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Five key points addressed in first legal reform package: Minister
The government will focus its first phase of the national legal reform package on five key points, which include eradicating illegal fees and smuggling, accelerating public services and permits and solving the overcapacity problem in prisons, a senior minister has said.
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Close conversation – Coordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister
Wiranto (right) talks with Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution (left) during a limited Cabinet meeting on legal reforms at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on Oct.11. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
T
he goverment will focus its first phase of the national legal reform package on five key points, which include eradicating illegal fees and smuggling, accelerating public services and permits and solving the overcapacity problem in prisons, a senior minister has said.
Explaining further, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said in an effort to eradicate illegal fees and bribery involving public officers, the government aimed to set up a new online platform where citizens could submit their reports on officers suspected to have imposed extra fees in their public service deliveries.
Officials would be prepared to handle the matter; they would carry out follow up measures based on the reports, he explained.
Wiranto said the legal reform would also create programs to accelerate procedures in obtaining drivers' licenses, vehicle registration (STNK), vehicle ownership documents (BPKB) and police clearance letters (SKCK), concerning extra fees given to officers to speed up the processes.
"We will also push for corruption-free and transparent IT-based services for the registration of temporary stay permits and intellectual property rights. These will be included in the first phase of the reform package to accelerate comprehensive services," he said on Tuesday.
The minister said the legal reform package, the government would introduce in October, would also mandate the establishment of a task force to eradicate smuggling through sea routes, which will hopefully lead to maximal operations of small seaports. The goal with this measure is that the national economy would not be damaged by the circulation of illegal goods.
On the penitentiary revitalization, Wiranto said 80 percent of penitentiaries in Indonesia were at overcapacity. Therefore, the government planned to relocate some of the most problematic prisoners, of whom have been tried for committing extraordinary crimes, such as terrorism and drug smuggling.
He said there would be a special system for people found guilty of committing misdemeanors in which they did not need to undergo a legal process in court.
"There will be new and efficient mechanisms [to punish the offenders], such as imposing fines or using more persuasive methods, which aim to create a deterrent effect but without sentencing so the prison population can be reduced," Wiranto said. (ebf)
