Based on the 2009 law on judicial authority has granted them the status as state officials, the Judicial Commission earlier this year recommended that judges be paid at least Rp 7 million (US$763) per month.

However, their pay still resembles that of civil servants. A judge’s monthly salary consists of three main components: basic salary, professional allowance and performance bonuses.

The basic salary ranges from Rp 1.98 million ($215.8) to Rp 4.98 million, according to their rank level and time of service; while the amount of their professional allowance starts from Rp 650,000, for entry-level judges, to Rp 2.6 million for highest-rank judges.

Judges are also entitled to receive performance bonuses, the amount of which depends on structural position, performance and workload. The Supreme Court was one of the first government institutions to adopt this performa...