Indonesia is undergoing a massive change in law or experiencing a law revolution. That was one of the important point in the explanation of the Chief Justice Constitutional Court (MK), Jimly Asshiddiqie, when giving a welcoming speech for the Event of Constitution Awareness Education for High School Teachers in Constitution Education and Economy in Central Jakarta District, Wednesday (26/3), at the hall of the Constitutional Court Building.

In the event co-held by the General Secretariat and Registrar of the Constitutional Court and the Education and Study Center for the Central Banking of Bank of Indonesia (BI), Jimly emphasized that the law revolution happened due to the changes in the constitution 300 percent. For that, Jimly invited all parties to understand the changes with the same perception and work together to rearrange the constitutional system, state power function, and state institution system.

Related to the effort to spread the education for constitution awareness, Jimly considered the teachers were the right officers to do the socialization functions and duties to the people. “Because of that, between the Constitutional Court and the teachers share the same importance,” said Jimly.

To explain the changes in many aspects of the constitutional system, Jimly informed the need to produce more books with the substance of explaining the wide and deep changes in the constitution reflected in one set of changes happened in four phases.

As the highest basic law, only 25 points of the stipulation in the 1945 Constitution remained still. The rest, about 71 points generated from the 1945 Constitution had been changed. “Therefore, the role of teachers is very important to build the right perception to younger generation concerning the future that we dreamed to be a modern country based on constitution as a uniting system,” Jimly continued.

Not only that, Jimly also reminded all state elements such as institutions, people’s figures, and organizational functions, took the responsibility to build citizen’s constitutional awareness. “By doing so, we can expect that constitution can be a familiar constitution within citizen’s heart. And at the right time, every citizen will feel equal between one another. There, we can see the joy of having a modern country. (Everyone) is equal in rights and obligation and also before the law,” expected Jimly.

Bank of Indonesia Independency
Related to the BI independency, in his opening speech, Director of Bank Central Education and Study Center, Drs. Mulyana Soekarni, MA., MM., explained that before the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, the position of Bank of Indonesia as central bank was under the President. “At that time, BI was often said not independent. However alongside with reformation and the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, now the position of BI has become an independent institution,” explained Mulyana.

Not only that, Mulyana also expected that the highscool teachers joining the meeting could get better understanding on today’s constitutional chart to be retold to their students at their schools.

Responding the BI independency, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court said that the monetary problem was a serious matter. When many people in their lives trapped in the pragmatism of world’s living which at the end only looked for money, then it needed a special authority to handle the monetary problems.

If the one taking care of the monetary policy was influenced by political interests, Jimly worried that would disrupt the policy around the monetary problems. “BI is independent in order to provide guarantee so that the importance behind the management of the money could be directed merely for people and country’s importance and not for a group of people. For that, as a citizen we need to know the authority of the BI. High school studentsand University students need to know too about money management,” explained Jimly before ending his speech. (Wiwik Budi Wasito/Yogi Djatnika)