"Therefore they deserve appropriate reward in line with their tasks, functions and responsibility."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The government is considering to improve the welfare of judges in line with the burden of their tasks and responsibilities, presidential spokesman Julian Aldrin Pasha said.

"One of the issues discussed when the President received judicial commission members was the welfare of and remunerations that judges deserve," he said when met at the presidential palace compound here on Wednesday.

Julian made the statement when asked to respond to the plan of some judges to conduct a demonstration to demand increased welfare.

He said judges are part of state apparatus dealing with law enforcement whose task and duty are not light.

"Therefore they deserve appropriate reward in line with their tasks, functions and responsibility," he said.

Julian said the government right now is still studying the possibility of increasing the welfare of the judges.

"That will be one of the issues to be given attention by the government in the future," he said.

Supreme Court (MA) spokesman Hatta Ali earlier said MA would summon judge Andi Nurvita to clarify his aim and intention to set up social networking on facebook to demand for the improvement of judges` welfare.

"We will summon him to clarify it," he said to newsmen on Tuesday (April 19). He said the summons was intended for clarifying news reports that some judges would conduct a demonstration.

When asked when the summoning of the judge from a district court in Yogyakarta, Central Java, would be done Hatta said it had not yet been determined and it would be as soon as possible.

"I have called the deputy head of the Yogyakarta High Court and was told that the judge concerned does exist. Andi Nurvita is one of the group members and some other judges are also listed there," he said.

Hatta who is also MA`s junior head of supervision admitted that the welfare of judges was still low while several of their benefits and facilities mandated by the law have not yet been realized including remunerations that have only been realized up to 70 percent so far.

"Perhaps it has been considered too long for local judges. Why it has never been realized. Good news has never come and until now it has not come yet," he said.
(T.F008/H-YH/HAJM/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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