Chief Justice Arief Hidayat in the dialogue and audience with Indonesians on Sunday (19/3) at the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) of Rome, Italy. Photo by Humas MK.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) has an additional function that sets it apart from other constitutional court in the world. MKRI not only serves as guardian of the Constitution, but also as guardian of state ideology. This is because the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution contains Pancasila values as state ideology, especially in the fourth paragraph. This was conveyed by Chief Justice Arief Hidayat in the dialogue and audience with Indonesians on Sunday (19/3) at the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) of Rome, Italy.

In his presentation, Justice Arief also explained that the founding fathers of the nation had placed the divine value of as one of the basic state ideologies of Indonesia. Therefore, the administration must be based on the divine value, including in every law making. 

"The Indonesian Constitution regulates not only legal matters, but also economy, politics, education, social life, culture, and religion. So, all aspects of the life of the Indonesian nation must be touched by the divine value," explained Arief Hidayat before the participants. 

In the question and answer session, the participants had the opportunity to ask various current issues, one of which was about the condition of Indonesia in the future related to the application of the Pancasila ideology. Answering this question, Justice Arief explained that the Indonesian people are currently suffering from problems of lack of trust in each other and the disorientation of the state goals. 

"Both of these problems must be solved together, even though the resolution cannot be done instantly. Pancasila education must be taught early, especially in every level of education. If not, it is feared that the next generation who will become leaders in the future will not understand much about the philosophy and values contained in Pancasila," explained the Diponegoro University constitutional law professor. 

The event was also attended by the Indonesian Ambassador to Rome Esti Andayani and the Indonesian Ambassador to the Vatican Antonius Agus Sriyono, and ended with a friendly meeting with the Indonesian community and students in Rome and surrounding areas. While in Italy, Chief Justice Arief Hidayat also attended the 13th Bureau of the Meeting of the World Conference of Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) in Venice, Italy. MKRI is a member of the WCCJ Bureau, and was selected to represent the Asian continent at the WCCJ congress last year. (YN/LA/Yuniar Widiastuti)