Purnomo Achmad Chandra (MoFA), Acting Secretary-General Heru Setiawan, and Chief Registrar Muhidin interviewing applicants for the 2023 recharging program, Monday (4/17/2023) at Constitutional Court’s second building. Photo by MKRI/Ifa.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) held a selection process for nineteen applicants for its recharging program in 2023 on Monday, April 17, 2023 at its second building. Substitute registrars, expert assistants to constitutional justices, court administrators, and other staff members who applied for the program underwent an essay writing test and an interview test.

The applicants were interviewed by the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s Director for Legal Affairs and Political and Security Treaties Purnomo Achmad Chandra, Acting Secretary-General Heru Setiawan, and Chief Registrar Muhidin. Their motivation, communication, adaptation, and critical thinking abilities were tested. From the nineteen applicants, eight—three substitute registrars, three expert assistants to constitutional justices, and two other staff members—will participate in the recharging program.

This recharging program was part of collaboration between the MKRI and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC). Both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday, December 5, 2022 in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. to support the development and implementation of training programs and to promote modern judicial administration and best practices in the Constitutional Court. One of the human resource development programs the Court would like to collaborate with the NCSC is a recharging program for the Court’s staff members.

As one of the executors of the judicial power in Indonesia and the reviewer of the constitutionality of laws, the Court promotes human resource development programs for its staff. Through programs such as recharging, it encourages its staff to obtain experience, knowledge, and new perspectives on topics such as court administration, legal interpretation, and cases in other countries.

The 2023 recharging program on “Restructuring Constitutional Democracy” has three objectives: introducing prominent conceptions of democracy, particularly constitutional democracy, by utilizing the study of the United States and its democratic institutions; examining the role of the judiciary in protecting democratic ideals and upholding international human rights; and developing critical thinking, analytical research, and oral advocacy skills regarding the program topics.

The program will be organized for participants to gain knowledge on various aspects of a constitutional democracy and the judiciary’s role in a democracy. Participants will be introduced to a myriad of conceptual and political challenges in a constitutional democracy. In exploring the themes above, participants will examine and critically evaluate the role of the U.S. Constitution in shaping the various democratic institutions of the United States. Learning will also be drawn from different regions and historical periods to ground participants in the tools of comparative studies.

Through professional meetings and court/institution visits, participants will deepen their understanding of the U.S. constitutional democracy model and best practices. The cultural visits and field trips are intended to aid learning and serve as backdrop for historical context.

For more than 50 years, the NCSC has shared authoritative knowledge and expertise to address current and emerging issues and trends in state court administration. The non-profit organization is the only organization that enjoys collaborative relationships with the Conference of Chief Justices, Conference of State Court Administrators and other associations of judicial leaders. It is also one of the four founders of the International Consortium for Court Excellence (ICCE).

Author       : Utami Argawati
Editor        : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator  : Yuniar Widiastuti (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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