Justice Ridwan Mansyur delivering a keynote speech at a public lecture organized by the Forum of Students for Constitutional Studies (Formasi) of the Law Faculty of the University of Mataram, Friday (11/14/2025). Photo by MKRI.

---

MATARAM (MKRI) — The Forum of Students for Constitutional Studies (Formasi) of the Law Faculty of the University of Mataram (FH Unram) held a public lecture under the theme “Judicial Review of Legislation in Indonesia’s Constitutional System.” The lecture was part of the 11th anniversary celebration of Formasi FH Unram. The event took place on Friday, November 14, 2025 at the Senate Meeting Room of the Rectorate Building, University of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara.

For this public lecture, Formasi invited Constitutional Justice Ridwan Mansyur as keynote speaker. He was accompanied by senior advisor Anna Triningsih. Meanwhile, Rachman Maulana Kafrawi, a lecturer in constitutional law at the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Political Science of the University of Mataram, participated as a speaker.

Justice Ridwan Mansyur was warmly welcomed by the Rector of the University of Mataram, Bambang Hari Kusumo, and the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Social Sciences, and Political Science, Lalu Wira Pria Suhartana. The rector then officially opened the public lecture.

Justice Ridwan Mansyur explained the need for oversight of legal products established under the rule of majority. He also emphasized that the Constitutional Court (MK) functions as the Guardian of the Constitution, ensuring that all laws and regulations comply with the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia. This role is carried out through the Court’s principal authority: reviewing laws against the Constitution.

Rachman Maulana Kafrawi presented the foundational concepts of the judicial review of legislation. He also conveyed to the participants that the purpose of judicial review is to uphold constitutional supremacy and maintain the hierarchy of legal norms.

After all speakers presented their materials, the event continued with a Q&A session. The audience—comprising students and Formasi jurists—showed great enthusiasm, prompting the organizers to extend the originally planned single session into two. One of the questions raised by a Formasi jurist concerned the meaning of potential loss and the mechanism if a constitutional complaint were to be submitted to the Court. Another student asked, “Is judicial review an achievement or a failure?” This question was answered directly by Anna Triningsih, who explained that it should not be viewed as an achievement or a failure; rather, one must look at the historical perspective—namely, that the Constitutional Court exists to serve for checks and balances within Indonesia’s legal system.

At the end of the public lecture, Justice Ridwan Mansyur expressed appreciation for the increasing courage of young people today in filing judicial review petitions to the Court.

This public lecture was part of the series of events celebrating the 11th anniversary of Formasi, in line with the theme “Reformist Jurists, Competitive Debaters: Creating a Nationally Competitive Legal Generation.” It was hoped that the event would offer valuable insights and inspiration for the development of legal studies in Indonesia, especially among the younger generation.

Author       : Team of Formasi FH Unram
Editor        : N. Rosi
Translator  : Jessica Rivena Meilania/YW

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.

---