A plenary judicial review hearing of the Law No. 25 of 2008 on the Establishment of Sungai Penuh City, Monday (16/3) in the Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Gani.

JAKARTA, Public Relations of the Constitutional Court—The Constitutional Court (MK) was supposed to hold the sixth judicial review hearing of the Establishment of Sungai Penuh City held by on Monday (16/3/2020) in the Plenary Courtroom of the Constitutional Court. However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the hearing of case No. 3/PUU-XVIII/2020, Chief Constitutional Justice Anwar Usman stated that the session is pending until further notice.

"The session cannot be continued and will be postponed indefinitely, pending national and international developments. [Everyone] is to anticipate the situation and [wait for news] on the session. This applies to all sessions, both plenary and panel. Court registrars will notify [you] when the session resumes," Justice Anwar said in the session that had originally been scheduled to listen to the statement of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Relevant Party, that is the Governor of Jambi Province.

Also read: Affected by Regional Proliferation, Civil Servants Challenge Law on the Establishment of Sungai Penuh City

The case was petitioned by nine petitioners who are civil servant retirees, advocates, youth figures, lecturers, and former Kerinci Regency DPRD members. The Petitioners argued that the a quo article is ambiguous and multi-interpretive. The issue actually stemmed from the proliferation of Kerinci Regency into a new autonomous city named Sungai Penuh. Four other regencies in Jambi Province were expanded into regencies. This difference resulted in the movement of the regency capital to Bukit Tengah Village, Siulak Sub-district. The expansion of Kerinci Regency into two autonomous regions was the consequence of the proliferation within the conditions stipulated in the Proliferation Law.

In addition, although the new regency capital was imposed on Kerinci Regency, the special funding was given by the Central Government to Sungai Penuh City, even though the parent regency also needed funding for the development of infrastructure in the infrastructure-deficient Bukit Tengah Village. (Sri Pujianti/Lambang/LA)

Translated by: Yuniar Widiastuti

Translation uploaded on 3/17/2020