Geography has little impact : a comparative study on the role of judges in Singapore and Indonesia in the taking of evidence in civil proceedings

Indonesia and Singapore are neighbouring countries with vibrant economic relations. Despite the geographical proximity, the legal systems in both countries are strikingly different. The author suggests that the most influencing factor of a country’s legal system is often its former colonial master. Singapore (a former British colony) applies the common law legal system while Indonesia (a former Dutch colony) applies the civil law legal system. Chan and van Rhee suggest that the differences between the two legal systems are often exaggerated, but differences remain. This paper sets out these differences with a focus on the judges’ role in taking evidence in civil proceedings, given the inevitable fact that disputes would arise among the business players of the two countries and that taking of evidence is an essential part that may be decisive to the outcome of a dispute. Doctrinal and comparative methods will be used, namely through analysing various procedural laws as found in the statute, case laws, as well as commentaries. This paper contributes to the scant collection of comparative literature on the two legal systems and assists business players in understanding better the procedures of taking evidence applied by the relevant dispute resolution forum that they can choose to resolve their commercial disputes. © 2023 School of Law, City University of Hong Kong.