Chief Justice Suhartoyo Invites Students to Become Agents of Citizens' Constitutional Understanding
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Chief Justice of the Court, Suhartoyo, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Secretary General of the Court, Heru Setiawan, and Asep Saepudin Jahar, Chancellor of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah at the opening ceremony of the UIN Law Fair, Friday (10/25/2024) at the Harun Nasution Auditorium of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, South Tangerang. PR Photo/Ifa.


JAKARTA, Public Relations of Court – Chief Justice of Court (MK), Suhartoyo, said the important role of students in accelerating constitutional values ​​and legal development. According to him, students are not only agents of change but also pioneers of the nation's future as well as the generation that will lead Indonesia, so it is important for law students to continue sharpening their insight, think critically, and actively contribute to more progressive legal reform.

"All students are agents in the constitutional understanding of every citizen around you, both as legal subjects of students and as legal subjects as members of society in the community where you live on a daily basis," said Chief Justice Suhartoyo at the event of opening of UIN Law Fair VII 2024 at the Harun Nasution Auditorium of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, South Tangerang on Thursday (10/25/2024).

Chief Justice Suhartoyo explained that in the process of political transformation and legal development in Indonesia, the Court played a crucial role as the main guardian and interpreter of constitutional values. The Court not only protects the basic rights of citizens, but also ensures that every policy and law issued by the government is in line with constitutional principles. However, in carrying out its duties and authority, the Court requires support from universities.

The challenge facing the Court in the future, especially ahead of Golden Indonesia 2045, is to ensure that the political transformation that occurs remains within constitutional corridors, without ignoring the principles of democracy and human rights. The current political transformation demands updates and adjustments in various aspects, including our laws and constitution. In this context, legal development is not just about creating new rules, but rather how law can be adapted and developed to support social, economic and political development that is more inclusive and fair.

In the current era of political transformation, the role of the constitution has become increasingly vital. The constitution is not only the highest source of law that regulates state life, but also a means of realizing justice, protecting human rights, and building a good democracy. This is a big ideal that is in line with the spirit of reformation that is always carried by the ideas of Harun Nasution, a reformer and great thinker in the history of Islam in Indonesia who emphasized the importance of balancing traditional values ​​with the demands of times development.

Chief Justice Suhartoyo continued, political transformation and legal development are arenas that require creative and innovative thinking from the younger generation. An active role in advocacy, legal research, and involvement in democratic processes will be important assets in creating a better legal system.

Apart from that, Chief Justice Suhartoyo also expressed his appreciation to UIN Syarief Hidayatullah Jakarta for the realization of cooperation with the Court through the signing of this memorandum of understanding regarding Increasing Understanding of Citizens' Constitutional Rights and the Quality of Higher Legal Education. This is a concrete step in strengthening understanding of the constitution among academics, as well as expanding the role of higher education institutions in advancing legal education in Indonesia.

"One concrete manifestation of efforts to strengthen this foundation through the programs that will emerge from this MoU,  it is hoped that more and more young people, especially law faculty students, will have a deep understanding of constitutional rights and the supremacy of the constitution, so that they can be a pioneer in maintaining and upholding justice in the future," said Chief Justice Suhartoyo.

Signing of Memorandum of Understanding

Secretary General Heru Setiawan explained that in general the signing of the MoU between the Court and universities was aimed at increasing the  understanding of citizens' constitutional rights and the quality of higher legal education in Indonesia. Even though cooperation has only now been established through an MoU, the Court and UIN Syarif Hidayatullah have actually had good cooperation for a long time. This collaboration is the third time that the Court has supported UIN Law Fair events, previously in 2016 and 2023.

"The role of the Court cannot be separated from the role of universities. "Without cooperation and support from universities, the Court would not be as optimal as it is now in carrying out its constitutional duties and authority," said Heru.

The national seminar with the topic "Legal Development in the Acceleration of Constitutional Values ​​in the Era of Political Transformation Towards a Golden Indonesia 2045" presented speakers from the Deputy for Youth Empowerment at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Prof. Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, as well as Constitutional Law Experts from the Indonesian College of Law Jentera, Bivitri Susanti. Furthermore, there were two competitions contested at UIN Law Fair VII, namely the National Legal Debate and the Scientific Writing Competition. The Debate Competition was attended by 16 universities and the Scientific Writing Competition was participated by 18 universities spread throughout Indonesia. Of the total participants, there were nine teams who came specifically to Jakarta.

In his speech, the Chancellor of UIN Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, also appreciated this collaboration with the Court. He hopes that holding this event can help overcome legal problems that occur in Indonesia and provide new ideas for legal development in the country.

"Hopefully this event will run smoothly and can also result in legal discussions and debates producing new ideas for legal development in Indonesia," said Asep.

Apart from that, the Constitutional Justice who retired in early 2024, Wahiduddin Adams, was also present as the keynote speaker at this event. Wahiduddin invited students to play an active role in overseeing the formation of laws from the beginning. He said academic texts and research must be formulated and discussed by paying attention to philosophical, juridical and sociological aspects and of course in accordance with the constitution and applicable laws and regulations.

"That's why students, especially those in the legal science study program, constitutional law study program, always emphasize that they really study scientifically and academically about legal planning and follow how the legal process is prepared, both within the Government/President and at the initiative of the House of Representatives (DPR)," said Wahiduddin.

He said that if the public relies on the Court as the ultimum remedium to review laws and regulations that are deemed to be in conflict with the 1945 Constitution, then there is a lot that needs to be prepared. Every petitioner for judicial review must be able to explain in advance the legal position or legal standing and the relationship between the constitutional losses experienced by the petitioner due to the enactment of norms in the law being reviewed. (*)

 

Author         : Mimi Kartika
Editor          : Lulu Anjarsari P.
Translator   : Donny Yuniarto (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.


Friday, October 25, 2024 | 13:30 WIB 189