“The Propartif approach gives us the tools to be compassionate listeners and build a bridge between the communities we serve,” said Ombudsman Republik Indonesia (ORI) Commissioner Johanes Widijantoro in his opening remarks for the webinar on the Effectiveness of the Implementation of the Propartif Method in Complaints Handling at ORI.
Propartif is a mediation-based method which promotes fair, transparent and human-centred complaints handling. It was inspired by The Netherlands’ Prettig Contact met de Overheid or proper contact with the government. Propartif supports the development of good and decisive public administration, whilst strengthening citizens’ trust in the government.
The webinar was organized on 6 December 2022, by ORI and the Dutch Nationale Ombudsman (NO), facilitated by the Center for International Legal Cooperation. The webinar aimed to present the results of the survey evaluating the effectiveness of Propartif, as experienced by complainants. The webinar was attended by participants from both the Netherlands and Indonesia, including heads of regional offices of ORI, internal ORI staff, and staff from other government agencies.
The webinar kicked off with opening remarks from ORI Commissioner Johanes Widijantoro and Stephan Sjouke, Head of International Affairs at NO. Following the opening remarks Ms Vidia Darmawi, an M&E consultant, presented the results of the complainants’ survey. During the summer of 2022, a similar survey was done for the ORI staff. Overall, the survey shows that complainants are satisfied with the Ombudsman and their complaints-handling procedure. Whilst complainants did not have knowledge of Propartif specifically, they were receptive to its elements and responded positively to its integration in the complaints-handling process. It was also emphasized that Propartif is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It must be adjusted, as appropriate, to local social and cultural contexts. This is particularly vital for a multi-ethnic, diverse nation like Indonesia. Undoubtedly, only in this way can Propartif succeed as a tool to improve public access to their Ombudsman.
The webinar was funded through CILC’s “Sustaining the Indonesia-Netherlands Legal Network” Project and funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with ORI and NO.
