Chief Justice Anwar Usman with Head of the International Affairs Division Immanuel B. B. Hutasoit and Head of the Administration of Leadership and Protocol Department Budi Wijayanto meeting the President of the Constitutional Court of Albania Vitore Tousha, Thursday (10/20/2021). Photo by Humas MK.

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Monday, October 24, 2022 | 09:25 WIB

TIRANA (MKRI)—Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) Anwar Usman delivered a keynote speech on “The Constitutional Court of Indonesia: Guardian of Constitution and State Ideology” at an international conference on “The Role of Constitutional Courts in New Democracies” organized by the Constitutional Court of Albania on Saturday, October 22, 2022.

In the session on “The Role of Constitutional Justice in the Development of Fundamental Values of Society,” Chief Justice Anwar shared the panel with the Vice President of the Constitutional Court of Italy Nicolò Zanon and Judge Sokol Sadushi of the High Court of Albania. In his speech, he explained two main parts of the Constitution of Indonesia: the Preamble and the body. The Preamble, he said, expresses the spirit of the drafters of the Constitution and their thoughts of the ideals and objectives of the fight for Indonesia’s independence as well as the state ideology, Pancasila.

“The ideals of the struggle for independence and the basic ideology of the Pancasila state are further elaborated in the norms of the body of the constitution. Thus, for the Constitutional Court of Indonesia, guarding the norms in the Constitution, in essence, is the same as guarding the state ideology,” he added before the delegations from 20 countries who attended the conference.

Before around 100 conference participants who gathered in the Rogner meeting room in Antigonea Hall, he explained that Indonesia’s state ideology Pancasila is the founding fathers’ thoughts formulated from the values ​​of Indonesian local wisdom. Pancasila is an ideology that unites the highly diverse Indonesian people that are spread over 17,506 islands. “Pancasila is the goals of the Indonesian people toward a just and prosperous society in a democracy,” he concluded.

He revealed three conclusions in his speech. First, Pancasila is the basis of the state’s philosophy and ideology that has succeeded in uniting the nation to achieve independence. Second, it is the basis of the state that is able to accommodate the diversity/pluralism of the Indonesian people. Third, it is the legal basis for the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).

The International Conference, held by the Constitutional Court of Albania on October 19-21, 2022, was attended by several courts of friendly countries such as Bulgaria, Bosnia, Belgium, Switzerland, Romania, and Turkiye. In the question-and-answer session, Chief Justice Anwar and other delegates discussed the role of the Constitutional Court in upholding democracy, which was related to the results of the 5th Congress of the WCCJ (World Conference on Constitutional Justice). The conference was officially opened by high-ranking officials of Albania: the President of the Republic of Albania Bajram Begaj and Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Also read: Court Offers Capacity Building to Constitutional Court of Albania

Meeting Indonesian Diaspora

Chief Justice Anwar also accepted invitation by the Ambassador of Indonesia to Bulgaria, Albania, and North Macedonia Iwan Bogananta. He also met with Indonesian citizens living in Tirana and surrounding cities. At the multipurpose room of Blùa Fish Restaurant, he met with Indonesian diaspora of various backgrounds.

In his remarks, the chief justice said that the work visit to Albania was the first for the MKRI. That is why meeting Indonesia diaspora to share experience and the spirit of nationalism was crucial. “This is also an opportunity to disseminate information about the MKRI as the guardian of citizens’ constitutional rights,” he concluded.

In response, Ambassador Iwan Bogananta, who was accompanied by Mrs. Noni Bogananta, the Coordinator for Political Affairs of the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) of Sofia Yetti Oktaviani, and protocol and consular officer Ivan Satria Basri, explained that the Indonesian population in Albania has been increasing year by year. They are active in expressing their nationalism and love for Indonesia.

The meeting with the Indonesian diaspora in Tirana was concluded with a lunch and casual conversation at 16:00 local time.

Writer        : NL
Editor        : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator  : Yuniar Widiastuti (NL)

Translation uploaded on 10/24/2022 17:29 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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