Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat attending the 21st WCCJ Bureau Meeting in Venice, Italy, Saturday (3/2/2024). Photo by MKRI/NL.

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VENICE (MKRI) — Solidarity and representation that founded the World Conference on Constitutional Justice (WCCJ) must be maintained, said Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat before all members of the WCCJ bureau at the 21st meeting of the bureau in Venice, Italy on Saturday, March 16, 2024.

He then talked about the WCCJ’s long history, which with its members leaving their ego to finally agree to merge into one big organization, as stated in the preamble to the WCCJ statute. He also expressed his opinion in the discussion of the amendment to the WCCJ statute in which several members proposed to simplify the regulation on the expulsion of members. In other words, if a total of 25 members (out of a total of 121) have agreed to propose the expulsion of a member, the proposal can be followed up by the General Assembly to be decided together.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MKRI) filed an intervention and proposed an additional prerequisite. This prerequisite was based on the opinion that if the proposal for expulsion could be submitted by 20% of the entire members, it would not fulfill the principles of solidarity and representation, which had been crucial during the organization’s founding. The Court proposed that the expulsion proposal must also come from the majority of constitutional court associations. The proposal was approved without any objections from all meeting participants.

Closing his intervention, Justice Arief explained that all members must preserve the WCCJ statute and prevent frequent amendments.

Next, the MKRI delegation approved the theme for the sixth WCCJ congress to take place in Spain in October 2025: “Human Rights and Future Generations.” As host of the 5th WCCJ Congress—which took place in 2022 in Nusa Dua, Bali and boasted record number of attendees (94 countries)—the MKRI also shared its experience in preparing for and organizing the congress. As the delegation’s leader, Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat emphasized the importance of presenting the host country’s cultural richness. He believes it does not only carry entertainment value, but also a learning experience in relation to the protection of the citizens’ constitutional rights.

Presidents of constitutional court associations of various regions and languages attended this bureau meeting. They are the Association of Asian Constitutional Court and Equivalent Institutions (AACC), the Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of Africa (CCJA), the Conference of European Constitutional Courts (CECC), the Eurasian Association of Constitutional Review Bodies (EACRB), Conference of Constitutional Jurisdictions of the Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CJCPLP), the Association of Francophone Constitutional Courts (ACCF), the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts of Councils (UACCC). Representatives of world continents also attended the meeting. The MKRI delegation attended the 21st WCCJ bureau meeting as a member of the bureau and host of a previous congress. In 2022, it received trust to organize the 5th WCCJ Congress on “Constitutional Justice and Peace” on October 4-7, 2022 in Nusa Dua, Bali.

Head of the AACC Permanent Secretariat and International Affairs Department Immanuel Hutasoit and political coordinator of the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Rome Eko Himawan accompanied Justice Arief Hidayat during the event.

Also read: MKRI Calls for Support for Palestine at WCCJ Bureau Meeting

Visit to ITPC Milan

Before attending the bureau meeting in Venice, the MKRI visited the Ministry of Trade’s Indonesia Trade Promotion Centre (ITPC) at Via Vittor Pisani, 8, 20124 in Milan.

During the visit, which took place on March 14, Immanuel Hutasoit (head of the AACC Permanent Secretariat and International Affairs Department), Hasri Puspita Ainun (head of the Registrar’s Office’s Administration Division), and M. Radhi Zhafari (secretary of the constitutional justice) were welcomed by Ibnu Fadjar, who explained the conditions and challenges of Indonesian trade with the European Union due to differing regulations. The ITPC, he said, plays a strategic role as a bridge that supports and increase Indonesian trade. The delegation also discussed MKRI decisions on trade.

The visit was a continuation of a previous collaboration in 2017, where the Indonesian Embassy in Rome and ITPC Milan facilitated a meet-and-greet on law and the Constitution with Indonesian diaspora in Milan.

Author       : NL
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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