A group of students from the Student Activity Unit (UKM) "Suara Mahasiswa" of the Faculty of Law at the Indonesian Christian University (FH-UKI) conducted a study visit to the Constitutional Court (MK) on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

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JAKARTA, MKRI PR – A group of students from the Student Activity Unit (UKM) "Suara Mahasiswa" of the Faculty of Law at the Indonesian Christian University (FH-UKI) conducted a study visit to the Constitutional Court (MK) on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. The purpose of the visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the history and role of the Constitutional Court.

The students were welcomed by Mery Christian Putri, Assistant to the Constitutional Justice, in the Auditorium of MK Building 1. In her presentation, Mery explained the history of the Constitutional Court within Indonesia's state system. She noted that the Constitutional Court was born out of the reform movement, which brought about fundamental changes to the structure of Indonesia’s state governance.

Mery elaborated that the ideal purpose behind the establishment of the Constitutional Court was to ensure that the state's administration was based on just and democratic law. The court acts as a mediator and balance between government institutions to prevent any one institution from dominating.

According to the 1945 Constitution (UUD 1945), the Constitutional Court holds the authority to review laws against the Constitution, resolve disputes over authority between state institutions whose powers are stipulated in the Constitution, dissolve political parties, rule on election result disputes, and decide on the House of Representatives' opinions regarding the President and/or Vice President's alleged violations of the Constitution.

The Constitutional Court is singular and located in the nation’s capital, with its decisions being final and binding. It differs from the Supreme Court (MA), which oversees criminal, civil, religious, military, industrial relations, tax, and corruption courts.

Mery also explained that the Constitutional Court consists of nine justices, nominated by three institutions representing the three branches of state power: three from the Supreme Court, three from the House of Representatives (DPR), and three selected by the President. However, after being appointed as constitutional justices, these individuals are no longer affiliated with the institutions that nominated them.

Mery then discussed citizens' constitutional rights, which are protected by the Constitution. In several rulings, the Constitutional Court has safeguarded these rights, including decisions on the minimum age for marriage and the use of digital files as legal evidence in court. She also mentioned that, so far, the most frequently challenged laws before the Constitutional Court are those related to politics, especially the General Election Law, followed by criminal law.

The session concluded with a lively Q&A session. The students were then invited to tour the Constitutional History Center (Puskon), located on the 5th and 6th floors of the MK building. At Puskon, the students explored the history of Indonesia's constitution and the formation of the Constitutional Court, presented in an engaging and modern way. Since its inauguration, Puskon MK has been frequently visited by various institutions and community groups. It is open to the public, and visitors are not charged any admission fee.

Author            : Utami Argawati
Editor             : N. Rosi
Translator       : Agusweka Poltak Siregar (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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