MKRI delegation led by Chief Justice Suhartoyo attending a Board of Members Meeting of the AACC, Thursday (9/19/2024). Photo by MKRI.

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BANGKOK (MKRI) — During the Sixth Congress of the Association of Asian Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions (AACC) in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday to Thursday, September 18-19, 2024, the MKRI (Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia) delegation led by Chief Justice Suhartoyo also attended the Board of Members Meeting (BoMM), which is the highest assembly for decision-making within the AACC.

The meeting took place at a hall on the 29th floor of the Athenee Hotel in Bangkok starting from 09:00 a.m. local time on September 18. At the meeting, the members discussed the association’s finances, the succession of the presidency, reports by the permanent secretariats, and the discussion of the Bangkok Declaration as the output of the Congress.

First, relating to finances, the MKRI stated that the AACC had not have independently-managed finances, although it had been discussed at the Meeting of Secretaries-General (MSG) in 2015 in Jakarta, Indonesia as well at the BoMM in 2016 in Bali, Indonesia. Chief Justice Suhartoyo stated that the general costs of organizing BoMM, congress, and other activities including symposia, workshops and seminars shall be financed primarily by the equal contribution of members. However, the may be differentiated depending on members’ respective capabilities as decided through the BoMM.

Chief Justice Suhartoyo concluded his view on the association’s finances by conveying the MKRI’s readiness to study the feasibility of financial contribution. “The principle of mutual cooperation and togetherness is an Asian character. I believe this Asian Way has been, is, and will continue being the spirit of our beloved organization,” he said.

When finalizing the Bangkok Declaration, three proposals to insert in the document were discussed: cooperation proposed by the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan, a conference on climate change that the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan will host, and the AACC’s expression of support to the Supreme Constitutional Court of Palestine. The MKRI reminded the AACC members that in 2016 through the Bali Declaration, the AACC had showed support to the Constitutional Court of Turkiye. In addition, the AACC has continued to support the Constitutional Court of Russia as one of its members for the enforcement of law and constitution. Therefore, Chief Justice Suhartoyo asserted that this AACC Congress was the right momentum for supporting the Palestinian counterpart.

The MKRI made the proposal that the following sentence be included: “We firmly commit to advocating for justice, peace, and human rights, and standing united against any actions that threaten the lives, security, freedom, and dignity of individuals and nations.”

“We cannot stay silent when our brothers and sisters are struggling with their lives. How can we talk about the supremacy of the constitution, democracy, human rights, or even a sustainable society, if today our colleagues in Palestine do not know whether they will survive or not?” Chief Justice Suhartoyo concluded.

At the final BoMM session on September 19, the MKRI’s proposal was accepted unanimously and included in the Bangkok Declaration.

The BoMM also reached a consensus that the Constitutional Courts of Uzbekistan and the Philippines will serve as the AACC President in 2025-2027 and 2027-2029, respectively. The MKRI’s chief justice was accompanied by Secretary-General Heru Setiawan, head of the AACC Permanent Secretariat and International Affairs Department Immanuel Hutasoit, and substitute registrar Edi Subianto.

Author              : NL
Editor               : N. Rosi
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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