Petitioner Suharjo Triatmanto after the judicial review hearing of the use of phrases and words in the Constitution and legislation, Monday (23/9) in the Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) held the second judicial review hearing of the use of phrases and words in the Constitution and legislation, Monday (23/9/2019) in the Plenary Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. The petition No. 43/PUU-XVII/2019 was filed by Suharjo Triatmanto. 

In the petition revision hearing, Suharjo clarified the main purpose of the petition. Initially, the Petitioner requested a review of the use of the words and phrases used in the 1945 Constitution and legislation against the Great Bahasa Indonesia Dictionary (KBBI). However, Suharjo added, he would like the touchstone to be replaced with, first, Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections along the articles that use the word komisi (“commission”) in the phrase Komisi Pemilihan Umum (“General Elections Commission”), second, Articles 46 and 97 of Law Number 12 of 2011 concerning the Formation of Laws and Regulations, and third, Article 28 of Law Number 10 of 2004 concerning the Formation of Laws and Regulations. 

"We also would like to add the Decision of the Constitutional Court Number 100/PUU-XI/2013 as the Petitioner\'s argument, so that we will go straight to the subject matter. So [the first petition] 35 pages, now it is only 15 pages," said Suharjo to the bench, consisting of chairman Constitutional Justice Manahan M. P. Sitompul, and Constitutional Justices I Dewa Gede Palguna and Arief Hidayat. 

Suharjo had previously expressed his concerns with the drafting of laws and regulations that are not based on the Great Bahasa Indonesia Dictionary (KBBI) while the government institution that compiled KBBI has legal legality. Laws and regulations shall be subject to the grammar of bahasa Indonesia. 

According to him, some words in various legal products show meanings that far from their intended meaning, resulting in ambiguity and interpretations not following the intention of legislators. Suharjo mentioned the use of the word ayat ("verse") according to the KBBI meaning address or sign; sentences that constitute units that make up a surah in scriptures; sentences that constitute a unit as part of an article in a law. According to him, the use of the word "verse" in laws and regulations means a unit of an article in a law. (Sri Pujianti/NRA)

Translated by: Yuniar Widiastuti