What's Wrong with the Constitutional Court ?

I used to think that the Constitutional Court is the only state institution that can be relied by the people of Indonesia today.

The Court has made several breakthrough on legal matters which other law institutions in the country seems to be helpless, such as public broadcasting of secret phone conversations between Anggodo Widjojo, who was alleged of bribery and certain high ranking officials of the law enforcement agencies.

Many people have high hopes, that some of them want the Court's Chief i.e. Mahfud MD to run as candidate in the 2014 Presidential election.
 
Lately, the mass media reported about the falsification of a letter issued by the Constitutional Court regarding who's eligible to represent a region in South Sulawesi at the House of Representatives

The Chief of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD alleged that the former member of the General Elections Committee  i.e. Andi Nurpati, currently Spokesperson of President SBY's ruling Democrat Party was involved in the said falsification. He also alleged that former Judge of the said Court i.e. Arsyad Sanusi was also involved in this case.

These allegations were denied by Andi Nurpati, her Party, and Arsyad Sanusi.

Arsyad even strike back by saying the this case is caused by the disorder in the administration of the Court, caused by Mahfud's lack of experience in working with the Court.

Meanwhile, The Jakarta Globe reported that on 21 June the House of Representatives has amended the Constitutional Court Law No. 24/2003 (here) that will significantly curtail the Court's authorities, including a restriction on issuing verdicts beyond what has been requested of it.

The Jakarta Post reported that the Court should limit its verdicts to declaring whether laws or articles ran counter to the Constitution, he added, and refrain from recommending alternative legislation.  It's Chief and Deputy Chief's office term would be reduced to two years and six months, from three years. And it's Judges must have an undergraduate degree in Law.

I hope that this case would be investigated thoroughly and those responsible to be processed in Court, so that the image of the Constitutional Court can still be maintained.

Who Will Be The Next President ?

President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY)  will end his second office term in 2014, and according to the  amended Constitution of Indonesia, he cannot be nominated again as candidate in the next presidential election.

Although until now there is still no one who seems to be good enough to be the next president of Indonesia, but I am very certain that there is one person out of the 240 million population who is eligible to take that job.

In this regards, I would like to share with you an article that I have read in Kompas about the nomination of  the Chief of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD and Director of the International Monetary Fund Sri Mulyani as Presidential candidates.

As Indonesian citizens, both of them may be nominated as Presidential candidates if they fulfill requirements stipulated by the Presidential Election Law among others should be nominated by one or more political parties that won enough votes in the 2014 General election.

As far as I know, Sri Mulyani is not a member of a political party, while Mahfud is a former official of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

What do you think ?

Related articles :
- Mahfud MD - Sri Mulyani President 2014-2018 (Blog)
- MMD - SMI 4 President (Facebook)

Death Penalty for Corruption Criminals

Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Mahfud MD seems to be very sick and tired of the efforts that has been made to eradicate corruption in Indonesia that he proposed Death Penalty for those who are guilty of committing Crime of Corruption.

Please find below a news article that I have quoted from Kompas.

I hope that the Chief Justice's statement is sincere, not just some sort of lips service for whatever reason he may have.

Judge:

Indonesia Needs Death Penalty for Graft

Minggu, 17 Oktober 2010 | 02:27 WIB

Indonesian laborers burn an effigy of a rat symbolizing corruption during a May Day rally outside the presidential palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday May 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of workers thronged the streets of Asian cities Saturday in annual May Day marches, demanding job creation and minimum wage hikes. Writings on the effigy say "Corruptors Regime".
 

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Indonesia needs to follow China’s example and sentence officials convicted of corruption to death in order to stamp out massive graft in the country, a top judge said Saturday. Indonesia’s current sentences for corruption are too soft and do nothing to deter corrupt officials, said Mohammad Mahfud, the chief justice of the Constitutional Court.

Officials “are sentenced to only three to four year in jail, which is lighter than sentences given to petty criminals,” Mahfud said.   He advocated the use of a provision in Indonesia’s Anti-Corruption Law that allows judges to sentence convicts to death. It has never been used.

“In China, which carries out the death sentence for those convicted of corruption charges, there is a deterrent effect,” he said. “If death sentences were used in Indonesia for corruption, it would reduce the cases.”
     
China is trying to reduce the number of crimes that get the death penalty, but a legislator last month said China’s lawmakers have never considered dropping the death penalty for corruption. People convicted of corruption should be subject to harsh penalties, lawmaker Chen Sixi said in an online chat with citizens, according to the People’s Daily newspaper.
     
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been widely credited for the success of an anti-corruption campaign that started after he took office in 2004. Scores of corrupt politicians, entrepreneurs and law enforcement officials have been tried and convicted, including the father-in-law of one of the Yudhoyono’s sons.

According to advocacy group Transparency International’s corruption index, Indonesia ranks 111th out of 180 countries.