Secretary-General M. Guntur Hamzah with Acting Head of the Pancasila and Constitution Education Center Imam Margono and PPDI Executive Board Chairman taking photos after the constitution awareness program (PPHKWN) for the Indonesian Association of Persons with Disabilities (PPDI), Friday (10/8/2021). Photo by Humas MK/Teguh.

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Friday, October 8, 2021 | 18:31 WIB

BOGOR, Public Relations—The Secretary-General of the Constitutional Court (MK) M. Guntur Hamzah gave a keynote speech and officially close the constitution awareness program for the citizens (PPHKWN) for the Indonesian Association of Persons with Disabilities (PPDI) virtually from the Constitutional Court on Friday, October 8, 2021. The event was held at the Pancasila and Constitution Education Center, Bogor, West Java. Chairman of the executive board of PPDI Gufroni Sakaril also attended the event.

Guntur began his speech by saying that the Constitutional Court as a judicial body must uphold the Constitution following its vision and mission as a modern and trust worthy institution. “Upholding the Constitution effectively is not only the Court’s duty, but it also takes support and active participation of all elements of society, including PPDI,” he said.

He hoped the event would aid in strengthening Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution and instilling it in citizens’ everyday life. “This event is only an introduction. The important thing is [what goes on] after it. For 4 days and 3 nights, [the participants] try to understand, learn, and practice [Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution] in society. This is what we can hope for after the [PPHKWN],” he added.

Democracy with Faith in One Supreme God

In his speech, Guntur said that Indonesia has Pancasila as its ideology. As such, it is not only known as a big democracy, but also a law-based state. The difference between Indonesia and other democracies and law-based states lies on the ideology. Pancasila as the ideology must always be the nation and state’s foundation and guidelines in the future.

“We are guided by Pancasila. We are guided by the rules or signs that exist in the 1945 Constitution and of course there is the Constitutional Court that oversees the [implementation] of Pancasila ideology and the 1945 Constitution to remain in the corridors as regulated in our Constitution,” he explained.

Guntur also said that Indonesia not only promotes democracy and nomocracy, but is also a religious country or a theocracy. This is reflected in the first precept of Pancasila: the belief in One Supreme God. As such, Indonesia is a democracy and a nomocracy based on the faith in One Supreme God.

Also read:

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Persons with Disabilities Learn Constitutional Court’s Procedural Law

The constitution awareness program for the citizens (PPHKWN) for the Indonesian Association of Persons with Disabilities (PPDI) took place on Tuesday-Friday, October 5-8, 2021. Around 100 people with disabilities throughout Indonesia attended the virtual event.

Writer        : Utami Argawati
Editor        : Nur R.
Translator  : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 10/11/2021 10:51 WIB

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

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