CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS: INTENSIFYING DISOBEDIENCE TO THE DECISIONS OF THE INDONESIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

Revista Chilena de Derecho, vol. 50 Nº 2, pp. 115 - 132 [2023] Recepción: 29/03/2023. Aceptación: 30/08/2023 DOI: 10.7764/R.502.5 CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS: INTENSIFYING DISOBEDIENCE TO THE DECISIONS OF THE INDONESIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT CRISIS CONSTITUCIONAL: INTENSIFICACIÓN DE LA DESOBEDIENCIA A LAS DECISIONES DEL TRIBUNAL CONSTITUCIONAL DE INDONESIA Novendri M. Nggilu1 Dian Ekawaty Ismail2 Tri Sulistyowati3 Mohamad Rivaldi Moha4 ABSTRACT: A constitutional crisis is a scenario in which the norms stated in the constitution are present in the text but absent in context (constitution with semantic value), indicating an amputation of the impartiality of the Constitutional Court and disobedience to its decisions. Functionally, the Constitutional Court has the highest authority in maintaining the dignity of the constitution and guarding its values, to which all elements of the nation are accountable. In Indonesia, the constitutional crisis can be understood from three important events. First, the House of Representatives signed a waiver for Article 22 of the 1945 Constitution, approving a Government Regulation in Lieu of the Job Creation Law stipulated by the President. Second, the Court’s impartiality principle was violated via dismissal of the Constitutional Judge, Aswanto. Third, the legislative and executive as well as the judiciary, in this case, the Supreme Court, disobeyed the Constitutional Court’s decisions. These three events intensify the constitutional crisis. Keywords: Constitution, Constitutional Crisis, Constitutional Court, Constitutional Disobedience. RESUMEN: Una crisis constitucional es un escenario en el que las normas establecidas en la constitución están presentes en el texto, pero ausentes en el contexto (constitución con valor semántico), lo que indica una amputación de la imparcialidad de la Corte Constitucional y una desobediencia a sus decisiones. Funcionalmente, la Corte Constitucional tiene la máxima autoridad en el mantenimiento de la dignidad de la constitución y la custodia de sus valores, ante los cuales todos los elementos de la nación son responsables. En Indonesia, la Candidate Doctor of Law, Universitas Padjadjaran. Affiliation address: Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Jl. Jend Sudirman No. 6, Dulalowo Timur, Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia, 96128. E-mail: . Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7417-8555. 2 Doctor of Law, Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Affiliation address: Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Jl. Jend Sudirman No. 6, Dulalowo Timur, Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia, 96128. E-mail: . Orchid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6273-2472 3 Doctor of Law, Universitas Trisakti. Affiliation address: Faculty of Law, Universitas Trisakti, Jl. Kyai Tapa No. 1 Jakarta Province, Indonesia. 28293. E-mail: . Orcid:-. 4 Master of Law, Universitas Brawijaya. Affiliation address: Faculty of Law, Universitas Negeri Gorontalo, Jl. Jend Sudirman No. 6, Dulalowo Timur, Gorontalo City, Gorontalo Province, Indonesia, 96128. E-mail: . Orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1050-7691. 1 115 116 Revista Chilena de Derecho, vol. 50 Nº 2, pp. 115 - 132 [2023] Nggilu, Novendri M. / Ismail, Dian Ekawaty / Sulistyowati, Tri / , Rivaldi Moha, Mohamad “Constitutional crisis: …” crisis constitucional puede entenderse a partir de tres eventos importantes. En primer lugar, la Cámara de Representantes firmó una renuncia al artículo 22 de la Constitución de 1945, aprobando un Reglamento Gubernativo en lugar de la Ley de Creación de Empleo estipulado por el Presidente. En segundo lugar, se violó el principio de imparcialidad del Tribunal mediante la destitución del juez constitucional de Aswanto. En tercer lugar, tanto el poder legislativo y ejecutivo como el judicial, en este caso, la Corte Suprema, desobedecieron las decisiones de la Corte Constitucional. Estos tres hechos agudizan la crisis constitucional Palabras clave: Constitución, Crisis Constitucional, Corte Constitucional, Desobediencia Constitucional I. INTRODUCTION The constitution is the result of political, social, and cultural processes; it is also an autobiography of the state, reflecting the diversity of its society and factors to be manifested in the future5. Therefore, the constitution is regarded as the highest norm in the country. As the basic law (grondwet)6, the constitution guides the administration of national life. In the context of Indonesia, the 1945 Constitution is considered as the state law. The Indonesian Reformation Era was marked by amendments to the 1945 Constitution implemented in 1999–20027. Thus, most of the content in the Indonesian Constitution was changed8, several state institutions were abolished as they were considered irrelevant in the administration, and a few state institutions were established based on necessity. One of the new institutions was the Constitutional Court, making Indonesia the 78th country9 to establish an administrator of judicial power other than the Supreme Court10. The Indonesian Constitutional Court has four powers and one obligation: 1. Review the laws against the constitution; 2. Resolve disputes over the authority of state institutions of which powers are granted by the constitution; 3. Decide on the dissolution of political parties; 4. Resolve disputes over general election results11; 5. Decide on the opinion of the House of Representatives regarding alleged violations by the President and/or Vice President according to the Constitution.12 Manan and Harjanti (2015) p. ix. Asshiddiqie (2010) p. 72. 7 Indrayana (2008) p. 72 8 Nggilu (2014) p. 102. 9 Asshiddiqie (2005a) p. 193. 10 Basuki and Jaelani (2018) p. 2. 11 Article 24B Paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution, Indonesia. 12 Article 24B Paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution, Indonesia. 5 6 Revista Chilena de Derecho, vol. 50 Nº 2, pp. 115 - 132 [2023] Nggilu, Novendri M. / Ismail, Dian Ekawaty / Sulistyowati, Tri / , Rivaldi Moha, Mohamad “Constitutional crisis: …” As the guardian of the constitution, the Constitutional Court is tasked with maintaining the dignity of the law13 while ensuring that the constitutional values are carried out responsibly by all elements of the nation14. The decision of the Constitutional Court is final and binding; no other legal remedy can be approached for amendments15. However, despite this nature, there have been several cases of disobedience to the decisions of the Constitutional Court not only by the legislative and executive bodies but also by the judiciary, that is, the Supreme Court16. Disobedience to the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court reflects disloyalty to the constitution17. The Constitutional Court is functionally the guardian of the constitution18, and being straddled by state institutions is tantamount to disobedience to the constitution. If such disobedience persists, a much worse situation may emerge, such as a constitutional crisis. Constitutional crisis is a scenari (...truncated)