The Bandar Lampung For the People NGO presenting the main points of its petition during the hearing on the review of Law No. 23 of 2014 on Regional Government, in the Constitutional Court Panel Courtroom, on Thursday (8/1/2026). Photo by MKRI/Panji.

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Jakarta (MKRI) – Non-Governmental Organization For the People (Pro Rakyat) has filed for a material judicial review of Article 26 of Law No. 23 of 2014 on the Regional Government (Regional Government Law) against the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia to the Constitutional Court (MK). The hearing of case No. 263/PUU-XXIII/2025 took place on Thursday, January 8, 2026, and was heard by Justice Arief Hidayat, along with Justices Enny Nurbaningsih and Arsul Sani.

The Petitioner is the NGO Pro Rakyat, represented by Chairman Aqrobin AM, Secretary General Johan Alamsyah, and Treasurer Fitri Nur Asiah Kesuma. The Petitioners questioned the existence of the Regional Heads Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) as stipulated in Article 26 of the Regional Government Law.

Representing the Petitioner, Fitri Nur Asiah Kesuma, stated that the NGO Pro Rakyat often advocates for and monitors regional regulations. However, in practice, Forkopimda, as a cross-institutional forum, is often used to set the direction of regional strategic policies, with no mechanism for public participation.

“This hinders the Petitioner’s access to information, participation, and government transparency, even though these rights are guaranteed in Article 28D paragraph (1), Article 28E, and Article 28F of the 1945 Constitution,” said Fitri in the Courtroom.

In addition, the Petitioner contended that the norm in Article 26 of Law No. 23 of 2014 is vague because it does not clearly define Forkopimda’s authority, functions, operational mechanism, and accountability. The ambiguity of the norm may lead to abuses of power, including military, prosecutorial, police, and judicial interventions within the scope of regional civil government.

“This potential threatens the maneuver and role of the Petitioner in carrying out the function of social control,” she explained.

The Petitioner further argued that Forkopimda lacks a constitutional basis because it is not provided for in the 1945 Constitution. However, the Regional Government Law, Forkopimda is considered to place Forkopimda above regional heads, thereby contradicting the principles of the rule of law, regional autonomy, and provisions regarding executive power.

In its petitums, the Petitioner requested the Court to grant the petition in its entirety, to declare Article 26 of Law No. 23 of 2014 contrary to the 1945 Constitution, and to have no legally binding force. Subsidiarily, the Petitioner requested that the provision be declared conditionally constitutional, provided that it removes the involvement of the military, police, prosecutors, and the judiciary, and that the decision be published in the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia.

Responding to the petition, Justice Arsul Sani advised the Petitioner to peruse the Constitutional Court Regulation No. 7 of 2025, and study the previous Constitutional Court’s petitions and decisions, which were filed by private legal entities. He stated that the decisions can be used as a reference to explain the Petitioner’s legal standing.

The Panel of Justices gave the Petitioner 14 days to revise the petition. The revision must be submitted on January 21, 2026, at 12.00 p.m Western Indonesian Time at the latest.

Case tracking: Petition No. 263/PUU-XXIII/2025 (in Indonesian)

Author: Utami Argawati
Editor: Lulu Anjarsari P.
PR: Fauzan Febriyan

Translator: Rizky Kurnia Chaesario

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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