Assistant to constitutional justice Alboin Pasaribu welcoming students of SMAN 1 Ciomas, Monday (5/23/2023) at the Court’s main hall. Photo by MKRI/Panji.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — Around 400 tenth-grade students of SMAN 1 Ciomas visited the Constitutional Court (MK) on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 and were welcomed by assistant to constitutional justice Alboin Pasaribu at the Court’s main hall. Pasaribu introduced the Constitutional Court to the students through a presentation on “Getting to Know Constitutional Jurisdiction in Indonesia.”

He explained that a constitution is the supreme law of a state, so it must be able to guarantee the citizens’ rights. Any violation of those rights is handled by the constitutional jurisdiction through a constitutional review.

Pasaribu also introduced to the students the history of constitutional review. He revealed that it started in the U.S. with Marbury v Madison. Other countries then followed. In the U.S. such cases are handled by the Supreme Court, but in Austria, where the idea of a constitutional court first emerged, such cases are handled by the Constitutional Court.

“This concept was adopted by the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia. In France, such authority is exercised by a Constitutional Council. What makes it different is that the Constitutional Council of France reviews bills that haven’t been passed into laws. It reviews the bills first, then the bills are enacted. In Indonesia and in the U.S., however, they are promulgated first, then reviewed when there are issues,” Pasaribu explained.

To develop the students’ understanding of constitutional judiciary, he then explained the history of constitutional review in Indonesia, which began long before Indonesia became an independent government. He revealed that during a session of the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Works for Independence (BPUPK), the nation’s founders proposed that a body be established to review laws against the Constitution. However, the idea was rejected. It was only during the Reform era that it was realized until the establishment of the Constitutional Court on August 13, 2003.

Pasaribu then explained more about Constitutional Court, starting from its authority, its constitutional justices, its hearings, and. Its facilities in guarding the Constitution and the citizens’ constitutional rights. “The students who are here today should understand that the Constitutional Court is concerned with the right to self-development because every citizen is entitled to formal and informal education. If there is any state regulation that restricts citizens’ rights, including [yours], the Constitutional Court will assume its role to deliver justice for the violation,” he stressed.

Next, the students take turns asking questions about the presentation. After the discussion, they were brought to the Constitution History Center (Puskon) on the fifth and sixth floors of the Court’s main building to find out more about the Constitutional Court.

Author       : Sri Pujianti
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 version, the Indonesian version will prevail.

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