Constitutional amendments not urgent: Jimly<\/p>\n
Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar<\/p>\n
The Constitutional Court president has said he was opposed to any
\nplans to amend the Constitution in the near future, and instead
\nsuggested that the country stabilize the state system following
\nfour amendments in the last five years.<\/p>\n
Jimly Asshidiqie warned that too many amendments of the
\nConstitution, the highest law in the country, would only create
\nproblems instead of solving them.<\/p>\n
\"There were times when we had to amend (the Constitution),
\nthere were also times when we had to consolidate and implement
\nit,\" Jimly told reporters on Monday on Bali, where he is on
\nholiday. \"Hopefully, there will be no more amendments. Four are
\nenough.\"<\/p>\n
He was responding to a proposal from the Regional
\nRepresentatives Council for another amendment to the
\nConstitution, which provides the new state institution a role
\ncomplementary to the House of Representatives, although Council
\nmembers -- as with those of the House -- were directly elected in
\nthe April polls.<\/p>\n
Constitutional amendments require an approval from two-thirds
\nof the People's Consultative Assembly, which is formed when the
\nHouse and the Council gather for an annual session in August.<\/p>\n
He said the proposal for an amendment was a cause for concern,
\nbecause it might be driven by certain political interests.<\/p>\n
Jimly warned that such a proposal would open the chance for
\nnew ideas that may not be in accordance with the established
\nconstitutional system.<\/p>\n
\"There must be a guarantee that the amendment will only
\naccommodate new concepts that are relevant to our constitutional
\nneeds. But who knows?\" Jimly said.<\/p>\n
He said the nation had been facing problems following the past
\nfour amendments, as the changes were made in stages.<\/p>\n
\"If the Constitution is amended too often, it may disturb the
\nefforts to stabilize our constitutional state system. It's up to
\nthe Assembly members to decide,\" said Jimly.<\/p>\n
The Assembly has amended the Constitution four times since
\n1999, pursuant with the country's attempt to develop a full-
\nfledged democracy after three decades under New Order
\nauthoritarian rule.<\/p>\n
During its debut at an Assembly meeting in October to mark the
\ntransition of government, the Council proposed amendments to the
\nConstitution in a bid to raise its status to equal the House.<\/p>\n
The Constitution and Law No. 22\/2003 on the composition of
\nlegislative bodies give the Council only a little legislative
\npower, as it can only make suggestions to the House regarding the
\ndeliberation of bills on the state budget and regional autonomy,
\nand are not involved in the deliberation process.<\/p>\n
Recently, the Council lodged a challenged at the
\nConstitutional Court over the selection of members of the Supreme
\nAudit Agency (BPK) by the House, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
The Court ruled the selection was constitutional and did not
\nneed approval from the Council, which did not exist when the
\nselection process took place.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/constitutional-amendments-not-urgent-jimly-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}