Constitutional Justice Manahan M. P. Sitompul delivering a general lecture at the Law Sciences Study Program, Social and Sciences Faculty, at the library of Pembangunan Panca Budi (UNPAB) University, Medan, North Sumatera, Friday (2/11). Photo by Humas MK.

Constitutional Justice Manahan M. P. Sitompul delivered a general lecture before some 100 students of the Law Sciences Study Program, Social and Sciences Faculty, at the library of Pembangunan Panca Budi (UNPAB) University, Medan, North Sumatera on Friday (2/11/2018). This event was to improve the understanding of law students of the strategic role of the Constitutional Court in building the order of the constitutional democratic rule of law.

Also attending were Vice Rector I Bachtiar Alamsyah as well as deans and lecturers of other social sciences study programs. The general lecture on the Role of the Constitutional Court in Constitutional Democracy was moderated by UNPAB Law Sciences Lecturer Salman Faris Harahap. The vice rector hoped that the lecture would inform the university’s academic community of latest developments in constitutional system and the role of the Constitutional Court in guarding democracy.

Justice Manahan said that the establishment of the Constitutional Court was to ensure the constitutionality of laws. He also spoke of the Court’s history until its establishment in the Constitution. The need for the Constitutional Court was driven by the need for final interpreter of the Constitution during the reforms. The Court aims to build nomocracy with its decisions—democracy that falls within the law and the Constitution.

In the Q&A session, several lecturers and students asked questions on the Court’s authority to decide on regional election, simultaneous elections, as well as supervision on constitutional justices. In relation to the regional election dispute resolution after the Constitutional Court Decision No. 97/PUU-/2013, Justice Manahan explained that the authority on simultaneous elections dispute resolution is a transitional authority mandated to the Court before a special judiciary is established. (MMA/LA/Yuniar Widiastuti)