Court researcher Fajar Laksono welcoming Law Faculty students of Pekalongan University (Unikal), Monday (22/1). Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

Court researcher Fajar Laksono welcomed 150 law students of Pekalongan University (Unikal), Monday (22/1/2018). Law Faculty Dean Nurul Huda stated that the students were to learn about the handling of cases by the Constitutional Court, which is closely related to citizens’ constitutional rights. He hoped his students could also learn about issues at the Court, such as the enforcement of constitutional justices’ code of ethics. He also would like to know how his students might be able to intern at the Court.

Fajar opened the event by informing the students of some decisions that the Court has passed since its establishment in 2003. He expressed regret of the public’s misconception of a recently-passed decision in relation to LGBT. Such misconception, he said was because the public do not read the entire decisions and the Court’s legal considerations. They tend to only read the verdict, a summary of the legal considerations. They also tend to believe what is broadcast on the media without analysis.

"As an example, the issue of LGBT, while in fact the Constitutional Court did not decide anything on LGBT. In the judicial review case, the Court only asked if the Petitioner wanted to expand the case into criminal law, the Court was not authorized to expand its object, subject, and sanction because in essence criminalization and decriminalization are the authority of legislators," Fajar explained. He then encouraged the public who study law to respond to and respect the law governing the nation.

Fajar said that the public may guard the proceedings at the Constitutional Court by accessing www.mahkamahkonstitusi.go.id. The website shows the progress of the cases petitioned to the Court. He said that the Constitutional Court was still an interesting topic as the Constitution is open to interpretation. The Court’s issue as the institution tasked with interpreting and guarding the Constitution, the issue is that the Court’s interpretations of the Constitution are often ignored by those supposed to comply with them as there are no sanctions for it. (Sri Pujianti/LA)

Translated by: Yuniar Widiastuti