House OKs constitutional court bill

House OKs constitutional court bill

Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The House of Representatives unanimously approved the
constitutional court bill on Wednesday.

The House avoided a vote after members agreed that judges
sitting on the court must have law degrees and that laws are
subject to judicial review.

Deputy House Speaker Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno banged the gavel
to mark the endorsement of the bill at around 11 p.m. ending a
lengthy debate that started early in July.

Only 270 out of the House's 497 members attended the plenary
session that passed the bill.

In a departure from normal procedure, the bill was deliberated
outside the House sitting period as the legislators and the
government raced to meet the Aug. 17 deadline set by the amended
Constitution for the establishment of the court.

Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra, in
his closing remarks, said the bill would be presented to
President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday for her endorsement.

The bill says the president, the House and the Supreme Court
each selects three judges to sit on the court.

Previously, the House factions were split over the required
education levels of the judges. While other factions demanded a
judge have a law degree, the Reform faction insisted that
professionalism and a good knowledge of the Constitution was more
important than a degree.

The final draft of the bill says the Constitutional Court is
authorized to carry out judicial reviews of laws enacted after
the first constitutional amendments in October 1999. The
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle had demanded that all
laws be subject to judicial review.

The Constitutional Court will have the authority to review
laws, to judge on disputes between state institutions, to
dissolve political parties, and to resolve electoral disputes.

The court also has the authority to decide allegations by the
House of Representatives that the president and/or vice president
committed treason, corruption, bribery and other crimes that
endanger the state.