Speakers, moderators, discussants, and participants of the AACC’s International Short Course for Legal Officers posing for a photo, Wednesday, (10/5/2022) at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Bali. Photo by MKRI.

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Wednesday, October 5, 2022 | 17:35 WIB

BALI (MKRI)—The idea of democracy and its variations has been adopted by international community and has served as a great framework in government structures. Democracy is realized in the form of general elections in order to vote for the people’s representatives and the leaders of the country. This statement was made by Constitutional Justice Wahiduddin Adams at the opening of the International Short Course for Legal Officers organized by the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center, Bali, Indonesia.

Justice Wahiduddin revealed that in 2024, Indonesia will hold two general elections. The first election will be held to vote for the national and regional parliamentary representations: the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), as well as the president and vice president. The second election will be held to vote for regional leaders (governors, mayors, and regents) for the provinces, cities, and regencies.

“One can imagine how busy Indonesia will be in the next two years, and how complex the upcoming elections will be in 2024. Moreover, they will be the first time that Indonesia organizes general elections with such mechanism. There is no historical record of such general elections held in Indonesia before,” he remarked before the speakers and participants attending the event.  

He believes that behind the great idea of democracy realized through general elections, there are practices that also tend to trigger conflicts in society, for instance, social conflicts that divide the people due to their support for the candidates or the parties they favor and conflicts that cause violence or even bloodshed. If every general election cause anxiety among the people, it will create a stigma that transition of power through general elections can never be peaceful. 

Realization of Peace

Justice Wahiduddin also affirmed that peace is an ideal of every nation. Many countries uphold the ideal of peace as a goal in their constitution’s preamble. Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution mentions that peace is a basic principle for which Indonesia participates in maintaining the world order: “And then to form a Government of the State of Indonesia that protects all Indonesian people and the entire land of Indonesia and to develop the welfare of the people, the life of the nation, and participate in the world orderliness based on freedom, eternal peace and social justice, National Freedom of Indonesia is prepared in a Constitution of the State of Indonesia, formed in a structure of the State of the Republic of Indonesia….”

He also explained that tyranny has a potential to create a peaceful situation. Tyranny or autocracy, characterized by iron-fist leadership, can create order in a short time. In a regime that is focused on a small number of people, a chaotic country can change immediately. However, the situation can also change rapidly when the people in power use their power to fulfil only the interests of individuals and groups. So, the potential danger of tyranny will bring negative effects in the long run.

The negative characteristics, Justice Wahiduddin added, create impact on the implementation of democracy and pose challenges. Scholars saw a phenomenon in the international community where political dynamics slowly erodes democracy in patterns that are not unlike natural disasters. The first pattern may occur massively like a landslide, while the second may occur more slowly like erosion.

“We, as individuals, as a nation, or as a part of the international community have been facing hard times. In politics, there has been the attrition of democracy. In terms of economy, we also experience financial conditions that impede economic growth. In terms of health, we are experiencing a pandemic. In terms of environment, we are facing the threat of climate change. The hardships and challenges that we are currently facing can potentially trigger conflicts, be it at local, national, or international levels,” he said in his speech on “The Implementation of Social Justice Principles for a Peaceful Society.”

Thus, the justice called all elements of society to prepare for these challenges together. “It is impossible that individuals should bear the responsibility of settling all problems. However, a cooperation can make it easier,” he remarked.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) organizes an international short course annually as the Permanent Secretariat for Planning and Coordination of the AACC. The short course, which was initiated in 2015, includes various topics on the work of the constitutional courts and equivalent institutions, and the promotion of constitutional rights.

The speakers of the short course were justices, former justices of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia, academics, researchers, and law practitioners. The participants were substitute registrars, rapporteur judges, researchers, and legal staff of the AACC members, as well as academics from Indonesian leading universities. The various backgrounds of the speakers and participants of the short course have encouraged fruitful discussions from different perspectives and experiences based on their respective skills.

Writer        : Utami Argawati
Editor        : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator  : Ayu Wulandari
Editor        : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 10/6/2022 14:24 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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