Parliamentary Legislation Committee to Follow Up Constitutional Court Order to Revise Officials' Pension Rules

JAKARTA — The Parliamentary Legislation Committee (Baleg) of the Indonesian parliament will implement the Constitutional Court’s (MK) ruling, which requests lawmakers to reframe the provisions regarding financial rights and pensions for leaders and members of high state institutions.

Vice-Chair of the Parliamentary Legislation Committee Martin Manurung stated that parliament is comprehensively studying the Constitutional Court’s decision, which essentially requests that regulations in Law No. 12 of 1980 be adjusted to current conditions.

“From what I read in the news, the Constitutional Court essentially views that there is a need for reformulation in accordance with developments and current conditions for Law No. 12 of 1980,” Manurung said when contacted on Monday, 16 March 2026.

Manurung explained that revision of the law is possible without having to await changes to the National Legislative Programme (Prolegnas).

This is because, pursuant to Law No. 15 of 2019, amendments to laws related to Constitutional Court decisions can be included in the cumulative list.

“Since there is now a Constitutional Court decision related to Law No. 12 of 1980, the amendment of this law falls within the Open Cumulative List and can therefore be revised outside the Prolegnas,” Manurung clarified.

The request was conveyed by the Constitutional Court in Decision No. 191/PUU-XXIII/2025, read during a plenary session in Jakarta on Monday, 16 March 2026.

Constitutional Judge Saldi Isra stated that the law is no longer deemed relevant to current developments and therefore needs to be replaced with new regulations governing the financial rights of leaders and members of high state institutions, including pensions for parliament members.

Additionally, the Constitutional Court also requested lawmakers consider whether the pension rights scheme should be retained or replaced with an alternative model, such as providing an honourable payment made once after the term of office expires.

Constitutional Court Chair Suhartoyo emphasised that the petition for constitutional review of the law was partially granted.

The constitutional review petition was filed by lecturers and students from the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII). They argued that providing pensions to parliament members serving a five-year term is inappropriate in terms of utilising state finances derived from public taxes.