1945 Constitution 'open for revision'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Constitutional law expert Yusril Ihza Mahendra
\nis striving to upturn the long-held conviction that the 1945
\nConstitution is untouchable. On Saturday he said the document was
\nopen for revision.<\/p>\n
In an oration to mark his professorship at the University of
\nIndonesia's School of Law in Depok, West Java, on Saturday,
\nYusril said the Constitution itself guaranteed the provision for
\nrevision.<\/p>\n
Article 37 stipulates that a revision could be made in a
\nsession of the People's Consultative Assembly attended by at
\nleast two-thirds of its 1,000 members.<\/p>\n
Yusril, aged 42, said open and academic debates on the
\ninterpretation of the 1945 Constitution should be maintained as
\nonly through these could scholars realize that the creations of
\npeople were not absolute.<\/p>\n
Another proponent of constitutional revision is human rights
\ncampaigner Adnan Buyung Nasution who explored the issue in his
\n1995 book Aspirasi Pemerintahan Konstitusional di Indonesia (The
\nAspiration for Constitutional Government in Indonesia).<\/p>\n
Opponents of the idea, however, are numerous with most arguing
\nthat changing the Constitution is tantamount to changing the
\nnation's foundations.<\/p>\n
Yusril spoke out against inflexibility in the interpretation
\nof the Constitution as it would be contradictory to the spirit of
\nthe Constitution itself.<\/p>\n
Yusril cited President Soeharto's backtracking on the
\nagreement signed in January with the International Monetary Fund
\n(IMF) in exchange for bailout package for Indonesia's battered
\neconomy as an example of recent reinterpretation of the
\nConstitution.<\/p>\n
Soeharto refused to implement all of the measures several
\nweeks after the signing because he suddenly decided that certain
\npoints in the agreement violated Article 33 of the Constitution.<\/p>\n
This stresses an economy based on \"familial principles\" rather
\nthan the liberalized economy that the IMF reforms would have
\ncreated.<\/p>\n
Yusril hails from Belitung island in South Sumatra. He
\ngraduated from the University of Indonesia's School of Law in
\n1983 and obtained his doctorate from the Universiti Sains
\nMalaysia in 1993.<\/p>\n
He now teaches at his alma mater, as well at the privately run
\nJakarta-based Muhammadiyah and Jayabaya universities.<\/p>\n
He is a staff member of the State Secretariat, a Golkar
\nlegislator in the People's Consultative Assembly and a member of
\na team of analysts at the National Research Institute.<\/p>\n
Present at Yusril's inauguration ceremony were cabinet
\nministers Akbar Tandjung, Quraish Shihab, Justika Sjarifudin
\nBaharsjah and Muhammad Alwi Dahlan.<\/p>\n
Also attending were former minister\/state secretary Moerdiono,
\ndeputy House speakers Syarwan Hamid and Ismail Hasan Metareum,
\nJakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and
\nGolkar legislator Abdullah Puteh. (imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/1945-constitution-open-for-revision-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}