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Monday, March 29, 2021 | 07:40 WIB

Chief Justice Anwar Usman delivering his public lecture at the Lustrum XIV event and launch of Andalas University’s 70th anniversary’s logo at the multipurpose building of Andalas University’s Law Faculty, Friday (26/3/2021). Photo by Humas MK/Ilham.

JAKARTA, Public Relations—The campus academia has always been critical and objective in guarding the state since Independence along with the people, said the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Anwar Usman in his public lecture at the Lustrum XIV event and launch of Andalas University’s 70th anniversary’s logo at the multipurpose building (GSG) of Andalas University’s Law Faculty on Friday, March 26, 2021.

Justice Anwar said within academia, critics emerged in each era. He added that history recorded that academia led Indonesia to independence and initiated the transition of powers.

“As we all know, the transition from the Old Order to the New Order, from the New Order to the Reform, was spearheaded and fronted by academia,” he said. With such history, he added, it is important to remember the crucial role of academia in the nation’s history.

Justice Anwar added that one of the best legacies of academia is the Reform movement. One of its demands was the amendment to the 1945 Constitution, which promoted citizens’ constitutional rights.

The Bima native said that it is important that all elements of society, especially academia, join hands in the efforts to improve public understanding of constitutional rights. He added that even though the amendment to the 1945 Constitution took place almost 19 years ago, there are biases in society about the values contained in the Constitution.

Many people said the constitutional amendment occurred “four times” instead of “in for stages,” he exemplified, while those two meant very different things. He stated that the amendment was done in for stages, meaning once to the same object. Meanwhile, doing it four times to one object means exactly that.

Important West Sumatera Figures

Justice Anwar said that the idea to found the Constitutional Court was proposed by a national figure from West Sumatera, Prof. Mohammad Yamin from Talawi, Sawahlunto. “The transcript of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Works for Independence (BPUPKI) ahead of the independence [shows that] Mohammad Yamin proposed the need for a judicial body with the authority to review laws. He proposed a Balai Agung (Supreme Court),” he said.

Another important West Sumatera figure was the independence proclamator Mohammad Hatta. Justice Anwar believes that, as a founding father, Hatta had laid the foundations of a country for future generations to defend and advance it. He also repeated Hatta's famous quote, “My struggle is easier as it expels the invaders, but your struggle will be more difficult as it will be against your own countrymen.”

Justice Anwar said the quote was always relevant as the issues that have plagued the nation was due to group and individual conflicts. “This will certainly not benefit us as a nation, but cause losses and damage to ourselves, our nation, and our state,” he said.

Therefore, Justice Anwar added, the duty to maintain the vast and complex Republic of Indonesia falls on all the people, despite their diversity. He also said law students must understand that the basic rules of a state are the constitution. He also stressed that upholding the values of the constitution and fighting for them takes knowledge, understanding, and joint commitment from all elements of the nation so as to guarantee that the constitution as the highest law can actually be realized.

At the event, the multipurpose building of Andalas University’s Law Faculty was inaugurated by the faculty and Justice Anwar Usman. At the same time, Andalas University’s Law Faculty signed an MoU with the Constitutional Court represented by Secretary-General M. Guntur Hamzah and Rector Yuliandri. The executive director of Semen Padang Yosviandri was also in attendance.

Writer: Ilham Wiryadi M.
Editor: Lulu Anjarsari P.

Translator: Yuniar Widiastuti
Editor: NL

Translation uploaded on 3/29/2021 12:39 WIB

Disclaimer: The original version of the news is in Indonesian. In case of any differences between the English and the Indonesian version, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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