“Ngopi Bareng Courtizen” (a meetup with the Constitutional Court’s social media followers), Friday (7/22/2022). Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.
Friday, July 22, 2022 | 18:03 WIB
JAKARTA, Public Relations—The Constitutional Court (MK) had succeeded in channeling public aspirations when other institutions lost public trust, said influencer Tsamara Amany at the event “Ngopi Bareng Courtizen” (a meetup with the Constitutional Court’s social media followers) on Friday afternoon, July 22, 2022. Fifty followers of the Court’s official Instagram account were invited to participate in the event, with guest Hamdan Zoelva, former chief constitutional justice of 2013–2015.
“The Constitutional Court has become a place for the public to channel their aspirations when they lost trust in the government and the House of Representatives, for example. This shows that the Court has managed to build public trust,” Tsamara said at the talk that was moderated by Kompas TV news presenter Cindy Sistyarani.
The New York University student said the Court had managed to get close to the public, as seen by the high number of judicial review petitions filed by citizens. University students have even filed some of those petitions, she added. “The shows that the Court has opened space for anyone,” she said.
She highlighted the Court’s need to transfer its decisions, which the public see as difficult texts, into straightforward, easy-to-understand information on social media.
“The Constitutional Court decisions are seen as difficult [texts]. All of the Court decisions have many legal considerations. The media only cover certain angles. The Court should explain the legal considerations, so that there’s transparency, package them in ways that are easy to understand, so long as the information is communicated,” Tsamara said.
Magnet for Public
Meanwhile, former chief constitutional justice of 2013–2015 Hamdan Zoelva said that although he is no longer with the Constitutional Court, he is always keeping up with Court developments. He followed the developments of judicial review cases on the Job Creation Law, the Narcotics Law, and the State Capital Law. “The Constitutional Court is still a magnet for the public.”
He also highlighted the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in the Court’s judicial process. The Court’s online hearings, he said, had started long before the pandemic. He prided the Constitutional Court as the most advanced judicial institution in Indonesia in terms of applying ICT. When he was president of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC), the Constitutional Court’s ICT developments made it a role model for other constitutional courts across the globe.
“Before the pandemic, remote hearings were already in place using video conference facilities in the regions. So online hearings are not new [to the Court] and is something normal. Long ago, hearings have used video conferencing facilities. This made the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia a role model for other constitutional courts,” he said.
Constitutional Court’s Social Media
Head of the Public Relations and National Affairs Department Fajar Laksono said the Constitutional Court always commits to its vision as a modern, trusted, and transparent judicial institution, which it realized by managing its social media accounts seriously.
“For the last three years, the Court has realized that it is a modern, trusted judicial institution [so…] it started managing its social media seriously,” he said.
He made an analogy between he Court and its fenceless buildings, which shows its intention to get close to the public. “The glass rooms in the Constitutional Court buildings show its transparency. So, through social media, we try to show a fresher portrayal of the Court,” he stressed.
Courtizens (Constitutional Court’s name for its social media followers) attending the event asked questions. University of Indonesia’s law student Nicholas Martua Siagian argued that the Court’s social media reach was still limited to students, law graduates, and law activists. This made it difficult for the public to see the implementation of the Court’s decisions.
“The weakness (of the Court’s social media) is that the implementation of the Constitutional Court’s decisions is not visible. In my opinion, the next innovation would be showing the realization and implementation of the Court’s decisions on its social media accounts for the public to see, not only for the youth, but all elements of society,” he said.
In response, Fajar said the Court answers to constitutionality issues of laws through its decisions, so it’s not the Court’s place to talk about the implementation of its decisions. “The Constitutional Court as a judicial institution have decisions that are final, binding, erga omnes, just like laws. When laws are enacted, there are executors: the executive branch. This [suggestion] is good, but there has to be synergy between the Court and the executors of the decisions. This must be researched first,” he said.
Next, Dorma Hotmaria Sianipar, a law student at the University of Riau, asked about Decision No. 36/PUU-XX/2022 on the judicial review of the EIT Law relating to defamation. In response, Hamdan Zoelva said there was a slight difference between criticism and defamation.
“I believe that our freedoms are not indefinite, because there are culture, ethics, and morality that must be kept. Criticism is okay, but if it’s inappropriate, do not make it a habit. Do not equate this with other cultures; we must maintain our culture. I agree that [the provision] on defamation of the president must be limited, but do not make it catch-all articles,” he stressed.
Tsamara joined in to agree that the provision on defamation should not be catch-all articles and a means for criminalization. “But I do not agree with blind attacks on public officials or the president. I believe the filter must educate the public,” she stressed.
Digital advances and transformations have presented social media and its conveniences. It allows users to find information fast, to communicate with others in ways that transcends distance and time. The Constitutional Court’s Public Relations and Protocol Bureau, especially the Public Relations Division, have optimized its social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube) and website in order to introduce them to the public.
Having realized the role of influencers as the bridge between the Court’s and the public, the Court organized the event “Ngopi Bareng Courtizen.” It believes this event to be one of the ways to maintain its social media ecosystem by embracing influencers and target markets through a coffee date where it discusses and collaborates with the public.
Writer : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Editor : LA
Translator : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)
Translation uploaded on 7/28/2022 11:43 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.
Friday, July 22, 2022 | 18:03 WIB 288