Former KY Chair Urges Intellectual Integrity After Heated Judicial Candidate Interview

Former Judicial Commission (KY) Chair Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata has weighed in on the recent selection process for Supreme Court justices and ad hoc judges, urging that such interviews be maintained as spaces for intellectual debate. His comments follow a public incident where KY member Andi Muhammad Asrun abruptly ended a session with ad hoc corruption judge candidate Andreas Eno Tirtakusuma.

The tension arose during a public interview when Asrun questioned Tirtakusuma on the primary sources of corruption cases. After the candidate sought clarification and provided an answer focused on moral factors like greed, Asrun expressed disappointment, stating the expected answer was technical, such as regional elections or procurement auctions. Asrun then terminated the interview, leaving the candidate mid-session.

Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata responded by emphasising that selection interviews should be intellectual forums for debating theoretical concepts, legal logic, and national insight based on academic standards. He noted that disagreements should be addressed through low competency scores rather than halting the process, and warned against mixing political dynamics into scientific assessments.

Separately, the Judicial Commission officially announced 14 successful candidates who passed the final interview and plenary assessment stages. KY Chair Abdul Chair Ramadhan confirmed the names would be submitted to the House of Representatives. The Supreme Court also addressed a separate issue, stating that 75 percent of alleged ethical violations highlighted in a KY release were related to procedural law, and acknowledged a clarification from the KY leadership regarding the matter.