Deputy Constitutional Chief Justice officially closing the 2018 Constitutional Law Festival, Sunday (7/10) at the Law Faculty of Brawijaya University, Malang. Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

Constitutional Court’s Deputy Chief Justice as keynote speaker in the talk show on “The Existence of the Constitutional Court in the Constitutional System in Indonesia” closed the series of events in the 2018 Constitutional Law Festival at the Law Faculty of Brawijaya University, Malang on Sunday (7/10/2018).

Justice Aswanto said that the Constitutional Court always opens the opportunity to improve the citizenship awareness of the Indonesian youth. He also discussed the authorities and obligation of the Court. He asserted that the Court’s mission is to guard the enforcement of the Constitution to professional, impartial, and fair judiciary. He also said that debates on human rights emerged later with regards to the 1945 Constitution. “Our constitution, which was called the 1945 Constitution at that time, had not guaranteed human rights optimally,” he said.

He stressed that the Constitutional Court is one of the results of the Reforms, whose establishment was stipulated in Article 24 paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution, which reads, “The judicial powers shall be carried out by a Supreme Court and by its subordinate judicatory bodies dealing with general, religious, military, state administrative judicial fields, and by a Constitutional Court.”

Pursuant to Article 24 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, the Constitutional Court has four authorities and one obligation. Any citizen may petition to the Constitutional Court a norm that is deemed contrary to the Constitution. “That is the first authority of the Court, to examine laws against the Constitution,” he said. Other authorities of the Courts are deciding on authority dispute among state institutions, deciding on the dissolution of political parties, and deciding on disputes over election results. The Court is also obligated to decide on the House’s opinion on an alleged violation of law committed by the president and/or vice president.

Also attending the talk show on national laws were Brawijaya University Rector Nuhfil Hanani, Brawijaya University Law Faculty Dean Rachmad Safa\'at, and three other speakers at the talk show—UII Law Faculty Professor Ni’matul Huda, UNPAD Law Faculty Professor Susi Dwi Harijanti, and Constitutional Court researcher Pan Mohamad Faiz. 

The festival took place in three days October 5-7, 2018, consisting of the Prof. Abdul Mukhtie Fadjar Rotating Cup Student Scientific Article Competition, Prof. Achmad Sodiki All-University Students Rotating Cup Design Competition, Quiz Contest for all-Malang high schools/equivalent. The festival was concluded by a talk show on national law with the theme “The Existence of the Constitutional Court in the Constitutional System in Indonesia.”