Amendment of the 1945 Constitution Discussed in MPR and Constitutional Court Meeting

The leadership of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) held a meeting with the Constitutional Court (MK) as part of a national gathering, during which the issue of amending the 1945 Constitution was discussed. “Earlier, we spoke with the Constitutional Court about several matters relating to the amendment of the 1945 Constitution, and quite a lot of views and input were provided by our colleagues at the Constitutional Court,” said MPR RI Chairman Ahmad Muzani during a press conference at the MK Building in Jakarta on Wednesday. Regarding the amendment, Muzani stated that the MK fully defers to the MPR in making the decision, as it falls entirely within its authority. He said that if the MPR’s authority regarding the constitutional amendment is decided, it then becomes the MK’s authority to safeguard the decisions and interpretations of that amendment. “In principle, our colleagues at the Constitutional Court fully defer to the MPR to make the decision because it is entirely the MPR’s authority,” he said. He continued, “If the MPR’s authority regarding the constitutional amendment has been decided, then the effort to safeguard those decisions with interpretation and all the instruments that are the authority of the Constitutional Court will follow.” According to Muzani, the discussion on the amendment was quite detailed, causing the meeting to run long. However, he confirmed that the MK did not interfere with what is the MPR’s authority. “But if it concerns an amendment, then this amendment becomes the responsibility of the Constitutional Court to interpret, understand, and secure that decision,” he said. “As the Constitutional Court is currently doing, namely securing all decisions on the amendments to the 1945 Constitution, both the first in 1999, the second in 2000, the third in 2001, and the fourth in 2002,” he continued. Muzani stated that the discussion regarding the amendment would also be conveyed in a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto. There are two matters to be discussed with the President following the meeting with the MK, namely the Broad Outlines of State Policy (PPHN) and the amendment. However, he stressed the President’s caution regarding the amendment, urging the MPR not to rush and to absorb the aspirations of the public and all elements. “Once again, the President cautioned about this amendment so that we do not rush, continue to absorb public aspirations, and involve all elements,” he revealed. According to him, today’s meeting with the MK is one of the steps to absorb aspirations from all these elements. “Because the amendment is a matter of our national life, democracy, and constitution. So, we must be very careful. We are not closing the door tightly, although we are not opening it wide on this issue,” Muzani said. He also emphasised that to date, there is no single article of a draft text for the amendment. The MPR continues to heed the President’s caution to be careful, not reckless, not to rush, and to involve all elements of society, both professional elements, elements of all ages, and everyone. “Therefore, once again, the MPR is not closing the door tightly on the possibility of an amendment, although we are also not opening it wide, but we are listening to all views and so on. Because of that, earlier, the issue was also part of what we discussed intensively with the Constitutional Court,” Muzani concluded.