Impeachment : a Myth or a Fact ?

                                      Chief Justice: Mahfud (Right) - Deputy A. Sodiki (Left)

On 12 January, the Constitutional Court has passed a decision that makes it much easier for the House of Representatives to make inquiries to the government, which may lead to the impeachment of the President and/or Vice President.

The Court annulled Article 184(4) of the Legislative Bodies Law No 27/2009 which stipulated that inquiries can be made if a meeting is attended by by 3/4 of the members and agreed by 3/4 of the attendance, and decided that 2/3 would be sufficient.

The Court's decision was made in response to the Judicial Review requested by some members of the House of Representatives and citizens on the grounds that the above Article was contradictory to the Constitution of 1945 which ruled that the meeting's quorum should be 2/3.

I hope that members of the House would use their rights wisely and only based on the laws, regulations and very best interests of the people of Indonesia, and not merely based on their selfish political goals.

I also hope that the President and Vice President would work properly much harder, smarter, based on the laws, regulations, and the best interests of the people so that they would not be impeached.

For details, please read the following articles :

- Court Cuts House Threshold Level for Impeachment (The Jakarta Globe)
- MK Nyatakan Jumlah 3/4 Kuorum .... Inkonstutusionil (Mahkamah Konstitusi)


Photo: Courtesy of Mahkamah Konstitusi

Lawyers' Protest Against the Supreme Court

Last Wednesday, one hundred lawyers of the Congress of Indonesian Advocates (KAI) held a violent protest at the Supreme Court in Jakarta.

The protest was sparked by a statement by the Chief of the Supreme Court Harifin A. Tumpa on 24 June which only recognized the Association of Indonesian Advocates (Peradi) as the only Bar Association in Indonesia, thereby causing uncertainty on the legitimacy of lawyer licenses issued by other lawyer/ advocate organizations in Indonesia.

The lawyers came at around 10 a.m to meet Harifin, but was denied by the Court's officers who shut all  entrance gates. Angered by this bad reception, the lawyers forcefully opened the gate and made their way inside the Court lobby, shouting and bring down the photo of Harifin from the wall and kicked it..

The lawyers calmed down after Harifin and other Supreme Judges finally agreed to meet them. According to the Chairman of KAI Indra Sainun Lubis, the Supreme Court shall revise its decision within one week.He also warned that if the Court failed to do that 3,000 lawyers will demonstrate.

On the next day, the Court has submitted an official report with the Police, alleging that the lawyers have damaged the Court's gate, cracking glass window, bringing down and kicking the photo of the Court's Chief and defaming that the Court's Judge has received bribe from Peradi. .

Considering that lawyers are citizens who have been granted license to practice laws in the courts of law, therefore deemed to be more knowledgeable about the laws and regulations, the above incident is a tragedy. I hope this case would be settled amicably but properly based on the laws and regulations in Indonesia.

Sources for this post :
-  Ratusan Advokat KAI Demo MA (Hukumonline) 
-  Protes MA, Aksi Para Advokat Berlangsung Ricuh (Tempo) 
-  Demo Advokat di Gedung MA Ricuh (VivaNews)
-  MA Janji Revisi SK dalam 1 Minggu, Pengacara Bubarkan Diri (Detik)
-  MA Laporkan Insiden Demo KAI ke Polisi (Hukumonline)