History of the Ombudsman
Ombudsman in the World
The first Ombudsman originated in Sweden in 1809, as someone who protects the interests of individuals from violations of public service by state officials. The establishment of the Ombudsman in Sweden was motivated by the absolute royal power, which led to a demand for significant changes by involving the public and being more open to democratic values.
Although the institution named Ombudsman was first established in Sweden, the concept of public service oversight that prioritizes fairness principles has existed since the Roman Empire with the institution named Tribunal Plebis, during the Tsin Dynasty (221 AD) with the institution named Control Yuan or Censorate, and during the Caliphate of Umar bin Khattab (634-644 AD) in Baghdad, where he positioned himself as Muhtasib, a person who received complaints and acted as a mediator in resolving disputes between the public and government officials.
Ombudsman in Indonesia
The birth of the Ombudsman in Indonesia was a demand of the reform era for a clean, transparent government free from corruption, collusion, and nepotism. The government at that time undertook several changes to accommodate public aspirations, one of which was establishing the National Ombudsman Commission through Presidential Decree Number 44 of 2000 concerning the establishment of the National Ombudsman Commission dated March 10, 2000.
The position of the Indonesian Ombudsman was further strengthened with the signing of Law Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia. With the enactment of this Law, the institution of the National Ombudsman Commission changed its name to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia. Then, Law Number 25 of 2009 concerning Public Services was also established. This law was created to ensure goodness, guarantee fairness, and order in society or good governance and clean governance.
The Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia, hereinafter referred to as the Ombudsman, is a State Institution authorized to oversee the implementation of Public Services, whether organized by state and government administrators, including those organized by State-Owned Enterprises, Regional-Owned Enterprises, and State-Owned Legal Entities as well as private or individual bodies that are assigned to organize certain public services, funded partially or entirely by the state budget and/or regional budget (Article 1 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia).
The Ombudsman is an independent State Institution and has no organic relationship with other State Institutions and government agencies, and in performing its duties and authority, it is free from interference from other powers (Article 2 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia).
In carrying out its duties and authorities, the Ombudsman is based on (Article 3 of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 37 of 2008 concerning the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia):
- Appropriateness
- Justice
- Non-discrimination
- Impartiality
- Accountability
- Balance
- Transparency
- Confidentiality
