A recent article in the Jakarta Post highlights some of the challenges faced by litigators in Indonesia.
The article (see here) describes a day in the life of a Jakarta Legal Aid Institute lawyer, and how he deals with the unpredictable scheduling of Court hearings. His anecdotes include one story of attending a trial at 4pm, that was originally scheduled at 9am. This kind of extended delay, unfortunately, is quite common. Even in the Commercial Court (which hears intellectual property matters) where cases are supposed to be managed to avoid unnecessary delay.
The article also discusses the challenge of access to information, including access to essential case documents like decisions and trial schedules.
The Courts do what they can with limited resources. More Courtrooms, and more administrative resources would certainly help. There is also room for improvement - some basic changes could pay big dividends. Low-hanging fruit that the Jokowi administration could chose to tackle, if it is serious about improving confidence in Indonesia’s judiciary.