160 students of the Civics Education Department of the University of Indonesian Education (UPI) Bandung visited the Constitutional Court to learn about the Constitution and the Procedural Law of the Constitutional Court (9/5). They were received by the Constitutional Court Justice Lieutenant General (Ret.) H. Achmad Roestandi, S.H. and Constitutional Court’s Registrar Drs. H. Ahmad Fadlil Sumadi, S.H., M.Hum.

In his lecture, Roestandi explained that law can work well if three required elements are fulfilled. The first one is qualified human resources in terms of both skills and morals. The second one is the availability of supporting facilities and infrastructure for law enforcement such as proper buildings. While the third one is the existence of public constitutional awareness. 

With respect to the third element, Roestandi underlined that educators play a key role in realizing constitutional awareness culture. “Accordingly, in addition to disseminating the messages to various social elements and groups, the Constitutional Court has also cooperated with the UPI to write a book regarding Constitutional Awareness Education,” he explained.

In the meantime, when explaining the substance of the development of Indonesia’s state administration and the Constitutional Court, Roestandi mentioned that the idea to establish a Constitutional Court had already existed at the early times of Indonesian independence. The idea for establishing a Constitutional Court was brought up by Mohammad Yamin, but it was countered by Soepomo for the reason that the state’s situation was not conducive yet to the idea and there was a lack of national legal experts at that time.

However, Roestandi further explained, following the commencement of reforms the idea to establish a Constitutional Court was once again brought up. Therefore, Article 24C of the Third Amendment to the 1945 Constitution stipulates the establishment of the Constitutional Court as a state institution exercising judicial power in addition to the Supreme Court. 

Furthermore, Roestandi also gave lenghty explanation about various authorities of the Constitutional Court, namely among other things, to hear cases at the first and final level the decisions of which are final, in conducting judicial review of laws against the Constitution, to decide upon disputes concerning the authorities of state institutions whose authorities are granted by the Constitution, to decide on the dissolution of political parties, and to decide upon disputes concerning the results of general elections, and to pass decisions on the opinion of the People’s Legislative Assembly concerning alleged violations by the President and/or the Vice President in accordance with the Constitution. (Wiwik Budi Wasito)