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Bandar Lampung University Rector Yusuf Sulfarano Barusman with Head of the Public Relations and Domestic Cooperation Department Fajar Laksono signing MoU, witnessed by Constitutional Court Registrar Muhidin, Tuesday (1/10) at Bandar Lampung University, Lampung. Photo by Humas MK/Bayu.

LAMPUNG, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The Constitutional Court (MK) signed a memorandum of understanding with Bandar Lampung University (UBL), represented by Head of the Public Relations and Domestic Cooperation Department Fajar Laksono and UBL Rector Yusuf Sulfarano Barusman, witnessed by Constitutional Court Registrar Muhidin,Tuesday (1/10/2019) at Bandar Lampung University, Lampung. The university also organized a national seminar on "Optimizing the Role of Higher Education in the Implementation of Constitutional Court Decision Number 35/PUU-IX/2012 Regarding the Recognition of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples."

Court Registrar Muhidin, representing Chief Constitutional Justice Anwar Usman, said that the MoU signing will expand partnership with universities, which in turn will expand and streamline constitutional values that the Court promotes. "It was proven that the memorandum of understanding was immediately followed up with a collaborative national seminar. Moreover, the theme in this national seminar reflects the synergy of the Constitutional Court with the Bandar Lampung University," he said.

Muhidin also explained that this event was a display of attention and concern by part of the community, especially tertiary institutions, in finding the potential and even facts that in certain situations the Constitutional Court\\\'s decisions require the active participation of tertiary institutions for their implementation. 

"When the Constitutional Court decision is understood as a reflection of living and ongoing constitutional values, then collective awareness of the Constitution must be realized, one of which is by respecting, obeying, and implementing the Constitutional Court\\\'s decision," he stressed. 

Muhidin discussed the optimization of the tertiary institutions in the implementation of constitutional court decisions, in this case Decision Number 35/PUU-IX/2012 relating to the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. The main points of the Decree include customary forests being excluded from state forests and categorized into private forests. Thus, including customary forests as state forests is a clear form of denial of the existence of indigenous peoples\\\' rights to land and forests. "This is a constitutional interpretation of the Constitutional Court towards the recognition of indigenous peoples, which is guaranteed and must be fulfilled because it is mandated by the 1945 Constitution," he said. 

However, Muhidin added, until 9 years after the Constitutional Court\\\'s ruling, there were still problems in its implementation. This indicates that the constitutional values stated by the Constitutional Court in its decision have not been effectively implemented. 

Presumably, universities provide be the most neutral and effective communication among stakeholders of the Constitutional Court decisions, in this case the state and indigenous peoples. "Higher education is expected to be relied upon as a hope for indigenous peoples, who can be classified as vulnerable groups, to get opportunities and ease of access to justice," he explained. 

Representing Secretary General M. Guntur Hamzah, Head of the Public Relations and Domestic Cooperation Department Fajar Laksono revealed that being located only in the capital, the Constitutional Court embraces friends of the Court, one of them being universities spread throughout Indonesia. "There have been 130 memoranda of understanding with universities throughout Indonesia. We are happy to welcome that increasing partners. Now it is UBL\\\'s turn," he said. 

Fajar added that the Court is committed to improving the quality of higher education in Indonesia, by striving to improve the quality of law in higher education. Collaboration with university is a necessity for this.

UBL Rector Yusuf Sulfarano Barusman expressed pleasure for having collaborated with the Constitutional Court, as higher education helps the Court fulfills its functions. "From higher education, a variety of innovations and theories that cannot be separated from the dynamics of society emerge, so the role of universities must be optimized," he said. (Bayu/LA)

Translated by: Yuniar Widiastuti

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