Petitioner Zico Leonard Djagardo at the preliminary hearing for the material judicial review of Law No. 7 of 2011 on Currency, Tuesday (4/22/2025). Photo by MKRI/Panji.

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JAKARTA (MKRI) — The Constitutional Court (MK) held the preliminary hearing for case No. 23/PUU-XXIII/2025 on the material judicial review of Law No. 7 of 2011 on Currency on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

This petition was filed by advocate Zico Leonard Djagardo Simanjuntak, who challenges Article 5 paragraph (1) letter c and paragraph (2) letter c of the Currency Law. Both articles regulate the number and letter denomination of rupiah.

At the hearing, the Petitioner’s legal counsel Putu Surya Permana Putra explained that Simanjutak feels constitutionally disadvantaged by the provision. The excessive zeroes in the rupiah have created complexity in daily transactions and risks causing calculation errors.

“As an Indonesian citizen, of course, we use the rupiah as the legal currency recognized in this country. The Petitioner also conducts various transactions by paying close attention to the number of zeros contained in the rupiah so as not to cause calculation errors,” Surya explained. 

Aggravated Nearsightedness

Surya called out the multiple zeros in the rupiah as inefficient, as many other countries have slashed theirs, and said that it reflects the economic stability of the countries. Another problem the Petitioner experienced is that the habit of counting the large denomination has resulted in increased nearsightedness caused by visual fatigue and eye muscle strain (digital eyestrain). He has also experienced a transaction error before.

The Petitioner compared the rupiah denomination with that of the Singapore dollar, which does not have as many zeros. He found it very easy to calculate and transact with the Singapore dollar, while the rupiah’s denomination has often made transactions difficult because of the necessary extra caution.

“The large number of zeros often [result in] inefficient calculation in daily transactions. Because the object of this review is a fairly central article regulating the rupiah as a legitimate currency in Indonesia, it does not rule out the possibility that the Petitioner would ask the Court to consider other articles in the Currency Law or to discuss the redenomination bill through the Constitutional Court’s decision through this case,” Surya explained.

In the petitums, the Petitioner requested that the Court declare Article 5 paragraph (1) letter c of the Currency Law unconstitutional and not legally binding if not interpreted as: “The general characteristics of Rupiah banknotes as referred to in Article 2 paragraph (2) shall at least consist of: c. The designation of denomination both in number and letter as the nominal value that has been adjusted by converting the number Rp1000 (one thousand rupiah) to Rp1 (one rupiah).” He also asked the Court to declare Article 5 paragraph (2) letter c of the Currency Law unconstitutional and not legally binding if not interpreted as: “The general characteristics of the metal Rupiah as referred to in Article 2 paragraph (2) shall at least contain: c. The designation of denomination in number and letter as the nominal value that has been adjusted by converting the number Rp1000 (one thousand rupiah) into Rp1 (one rupiah).”

Responding to the petition, Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra advised the Petitioner to rethink his legal standing. “Losses or potential losses must be seriously considered for the legal standing. I frankly cannot be convinced by the legal standing argument, [both] the actual [loss], let alone the potential [loss]. Therefore, provide strong arguments to explain the losses, at least potential losses, as long as the denomination is not reduced or eliminated by three zeros,” he said.

Before concluding the hearing, Deputy Chief Justice Saldi Isra gave the Petitioner 14 days to revise the petition, which shall be submitted by Monday, May 5.

Read the revised petition for case No. 23/PUU-XXIII/2025 here.

Author       : Utami Argawati
Editor        : N. Rosi
PR            : Tiara Agustina
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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