Chief Justice Anwar Usman giving his remarks at the fifth congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) virtually, Thursday (8/18/2021) from the Constitutional Court. Photo by Humas MK/Ifa.

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Friday, August 19, 2022 | 09:08 WIB

JAKARTA (MKRI)—The COVID-19 pandemic compelled all constitutional review bodies across the world to work with a new system in a new situation and to organize their activities under strict compliance with health protocol in order to prevent or reduce the spread of the virus. In such a condition, their role in protecting the citizens’ right to health is imminent.

The statement was made by Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia Anwar Usman on the first day of the Fifth Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) on Thursday, August 18, 2022 virtually. The event, hosted both on-site and virtually from Ulaanbaatar by Constitutional Court of Mongolia, president of the AACC, took on the theme “Recent Developments of Constitutional Justice in Asia.” All members of the AACC were in attendance, with the exception of Afghanistan.

In his presentation on “The Constitutional Court’s Role in Protecting the Citizens’ Right to Health Amid Pandemic,” Justice Anwar said the guarantee to healthcare is one of the state’s protection for its citizens. In its decisions on the Law on the State’s Financial Policy and Fiscal Stability for the Mitigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Health Quarantine Law, the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia had made efforts to provide the Government with legal certainty to take the required steps in making decisions regarding state finances and health quarantine following the conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“[The COVID-19 pandemic] should be a real common enemy that unites all of us. There is no reason for us not to join hands and cooperate to make this tragedy pass quickly,” he said alongside Secretary-General M. Guntur Hamzah, head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau Heru Setiawan, head of the AACC Permanent Secretariat and International Affairs Department Sri Handayani, head of the AACC Permanent Secretariat Division Indah Apriyanti, and head of the International Affairs Division Immanuel Bungkulan Binsar Hutasoit.

President of the Constitutional Court of Turkey Zühtü Arslan chaired the congress and moderated speeches by speakers including Chief Justice Anwar Usman. Justice Gangabaatar Dashbalbar of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia talked about “Recent Developments of Constitutional Justice in Asia,” Chairman Kairat Mami of the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan talked about “Constitutional Review in Kazakhstan: Tasks and Prospects at the Present Stage,” Chairperson Tha Htay of the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar talked about “The Constitutional Review in Challenging Times,” Deputy Chairman Gafurov Askarjon of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan talked about “Constitutional Reform in Uzbekistan: New Stage and Development of Constitutional Control,” while Justice Ki Young Kim of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Korea talked about “Constitutional Review in Challenging Times: Protection of Personal Information, COVID-19, Judicialization of Politics.”

Writer        : Sri Pujianti
Editor        : Nur R.
Translator  : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 8/23/2022 21:30 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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