Chief Justice Anwar Usman delivering his remarks at the inauguration of the Tahir Foundation building at the Law Faculty of Andalas University, Friday (12/2/2022) in Padang, West Sumatera. Photo by MKRI/M. Nur.

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Friday, December 2, 2022 | 11:59 WIB

(MKRI) — Chief Justice Anwar Usman delivered a speech at the inauguration of the Tahir Foundation building, Law Faculty of Andalas University on Friday, December 2, 2022 in Padang, West Sumatra. He was accompanied by Constitutional Justices Wahiduddin Adams and Saldi Isra. Supreme Court (MA) Chief Justice Muhammad Syarifudin, Andalas University rector Yuliandri, Andalas University’s Law Faculty dean Busyra Azheri, Dato Sri Tahir, and others were also in attendance.

Chief Justice Anwar said the establishment of law laboratories is part of the role of higher legal education in the enforcement of the law in the country. Higher legal education does not only relate to law enforcement in a practical sense, but to three main issues in the legal system: legal substance, legal structure, and legal culture. Substantial law enforcement can be realized if these elements can be fulfilled. In terms of legal substance, higher legal education can encourage academic texts, which will be normative guidelines for law enforcement officials.

However, at the same time, higher legal education serves as breeding grounds for capable law enforcement officials that stand in the frontline of legal enforcement in society. It also develops legal culture in that it produces law-abiding citizens. So, in truth, the true responsibility of substantive legal enforcement and the fulfillment of the elements of the legal system lie with legal higher education. Chief Justice Anwar expressed his hope that the foundation of the law laboratories would be a means for the enforcement of law in the future.

He added that many people expect the burden of legal enforcement to fall on the shoulders of law enforcement officials—state officials such as the police, prosecutors, and judges. Some even believe that judges bear the highest burden. However, he reminded everyone that law enforcement officials are products of legal higher education that have instilled in the law enforcement values.

“For me, the noble responsibility remains at the tertiary institution, because the values that were instilled and taught during my education were more eternal than the temporary positions of law enforcement officials. Therefore, the role of higher education in law, in realizing law enforcement, plays an important and primary role,” said Anwar.

He believes that among various goals of law enforcement, there are two main things: justice and humanity. Fair and humane law enforcement does not operate in a vacuum, he argued. They dynamically follow changing times. Ancient Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero said ubi societas ibi ius: wherever there is society, there is law. The existing law will change and develop along with the changes and developments in society. Changes and developments of law cannot be separated from the contribution and role of academia.

Therefore, he hoped in the future this law laboratory can be utilized as much as possible so that it would produce law graduates who will guard and uphold the law and the Constitution in accordance with the mandate and expectations of society.

Meanwhile, Andalas University rector Yuliandri said the Tahir Foundation building will be used as a learning facility for the university’s academic community—especially the Law Faculty. The building will be used to support judicial and legal clinical courses. “With the increased facilities available on this campus, hopefully in the future great people will be [produced] to take part in developing the country,” he said.

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

Translation uploaded on 12/7/2022 10:15 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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