Constitutional Justice Saldi Isra and expert assistant Pan Mohamad Faiz welcoming sixth grade students of Singapore Intercultural School (SIS Kelapa Gading) Jakarta, Monday (1/30/2023). Photo by MKRI/Ilham W. M.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Six students from the 11th grade of Singapore Intercultural School (SIS Kelapa Gading) Jakarta visited the Constitutional Court (MK) on Monday (1/30/2023). The visit was received by Justice Saldi Isra and two Expert assistants, Pan Mohamad Faiz and Andriani Wahyuningtyas Novitasari.

John Kenneth Hargreaves, as the accompanying teacher, mentioned that the visit to the Constitutional Court (MK) is intended to introduce the judiciary authorities by observing a hearing that takes place on the day of the visit. In addition, the visit also aims to learn about the Justices’ works. During the discussion, Saldi explained the stages of a case until its decision. Cases are submitted to the Constitutional Court through registration by the petitioner in the case registration section. After being received by the Court, the files will be examined to meet the minimum requirements for submitting a case, including a petition, attachments such as the 1945 Constitution, the law that is being reviewed or the part of the norm being tested, and proof of the lawyer's identity if the case is entrusted to a lawyer. The petition will be registered with the characterization of a case number, for example, Number 1 / PUU-XXI / 2023.

Next, Saldi explained that the registrar's office will send the petition to the Chief Justice who will then appoint Justices to hear the case in a preliminary Hearing. In short, Saldi also explained the series of hearings held by justices until the deliberation meeting (RPH) is held to decide the outcome of a case in the Constitutional Court.

“After the series of hearings, the 9 constitutional justice will convene in the RPH. To resolve a case, justices cannot set a deadline for completion, especially for judicial review cases because they depend on the difficulty level of the case. Some cases can be resolved within two months, but others may take up to two years,” said Saldi.

During the discussion, one of the students was interested in asking about the challenges faced by a law student, given that Justice Saldi himself is a law program graduate. Saldi happily shared his journey of becoming involved in the legal world. He also shared some tips on what students should prepare for if they want to pursue a career in law, including choosing a law program from the heart and being prepared for the heavy workload and diverse material. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of having good public speaking skills and good writing skills, as well as being well-versed in various reading materials so that legal experts can interact and testify in various court proceedings with ease.

Getting to Know the Court
Before being directly received by Constitutional Justice Saldi, the students were given materials related to the Constitutional Court by Andriani Wahyuningtyas Novitasari. In a presentation entitled “Enforcement of Constitutional Law in Indonesia”, the students were introduced to the role of the Constitutional Court as a Judicial branch power. Andriani stated that essentially, in social and state life, for a constitution not to be merely nominal, there needs to be an interpretation so that the norms contained therein become useful to society in a concrete way. The Constitutional Court seeks to fill the gap between the norms contained in the constitution and the reality of political and state life.

Therefore, the Constitutional Court in this role adheres strictly to the principles of procedural law, namely independence and impartiality; Ius Curia Novit; open hearings for the public; fast, simple, and low-cost justice; Audi et alteram partem; active justices in hearings; and presumtio Iusteae causa. “The Constitutional Court's decisions are binding but do not punish like general courts. Once again, it is important to understand that the Constitutional Court always states 'Declares' in its decisions on cases submitted by Petitioners,” explained Andriani.

The students were also taken on a tour of the Plenary Court Room and the Centre of Constitution History to see a diorama of the history of the Indonesian constitution. During this visit, the students were also allowed to watch the proceedings of the trial from the MK YouTube page.

Writer    : Sri Pujianti
Editor    : Nur R.
Translator    : Azzahra Salsabilla/Sherly Octaviana Sari (NL)

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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