The Role of local ombudsman committee in promoting good governance : a case study of the local public ombudsman in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Nowadays, good governance has become an important issue to be discussed within the international development framework. Many developing countries try to implement good governance principles through many forms; one of them is to establish ombudsman committees. An ombudsman committee is an institution which functions to monitor public service deliverance from government agencies to the society through the form of external complaint handling system. In principles, ombudsman is neutral, independent, and no other parties can interfere. The function of public service monitoring itself is to keep the balance of the rights of citizens as public service clients and the obligation of government in conducting clean and good governance. This research focuses on the role and activities of ombudsman as an institution and also as a development agent which promotes good governance with a case study of local public ombudsman in Yogyakarta. The objectives of this research are to describe the decentralization process of public service monitoring to the local level, to identify the relations between two ombudsman systems in Indonesia which take forms of national ombudsman (NO) and local ombudsman committee (LOC) while trying to understand the problems and challenges being faced within the context of good governance and public service deliverance, and to analyze the role of local public ombudsman in local and national development framework. The research uses qualitative methods to gather data using reports, document analysis, semi-structured and in-depth interviews using key respondents from relevant stakeholders involved on the issue. Various perspectives were gathered from local public ombudsman, national ombudsman, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, the academic community and mass media of Yogyakarta. The research finds out that LOC could be seen as a breakthrough within national development framework. Some of the problems being faced are the limitation of human resources and operational budget and the shift in national policies which affect the existence of some LOCs. People who use the service of ombudsman find that the presence of ombudsman in society helps them to claim their rights, get a settlement through mediation, and receive an informal legal consultation. It is hoped that the role of LOC in ensuring good governance practices will bring social justice which will contribute to development of local society.