The word ombudsman itself is derived from Old Swedish, meaning representative or foundation. Globally, ombudsmen often play a role in resolving disputes between government officials and the public, with the International Ombudsman Institute being more widespread in Europe.

The 2020 United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution supporting the development of ombudsmanship in its member states for the protection of human rights, good governance, and law enforcement.

"The main objective of an ombudsman is to contribute to a fair, developed nation with a happy society," he stated.

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia was established in 2000 through the enactment of Presidential Decree No. 44 of 2000. It took eight years for its establishment to be formalized in Law No. 37 of 2008. Article 1 states that the Ombudsman is to supervise the implementation of public services, while Article 2 states that the Ombudsman is an independent state institution.

The Ombudsman has four roles: to process public reports, provide rapid responses, conduct investigations on its own accord, and prevent misadministration.

Law No. 25 of 2009 identifies three scopes of public services: public goods, public services, and administrative services. Some examples of public goods include ferries, public transportation, electricity from PLN (Indonesia’s state electricity company), and oil and gas policies. On the other hand, examples of public services are hospitals and health centers. Lastly, one example of administrative services is residential services.

Article 7 of Law No. 37 of 2008 states that the duty of the Ombudsman in handling maladministration is to receive reports that indicate maladministration, investigate said reports, and conduct efforts to prevent all forms of maladministration in public services.

"The Ombudsman hopes that the young generation can help realize an equitable, peaceful, and prosperous country. Therefore, it is hoped that there will be mass participation in reporting any kind of public service that does not comply with the rules. If there is still no follow-up regarding this complicity, then the Ombudsman can take charge to resolve the problem," he said.

Reporter: Yohana Aprilianna (Urban and Regional Planning ‘21)

Indonesian Editor: M. Naufal Hafizh

Translator: Ariq Ramadhan Teruna (Chemical Engineering ‘21)

Editor: Vera Citra Utami