Vice President Jusuf Kalla (right) and People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan (center) leave the room after attending a commemoration of Constitution Day at Nusantara Hall in Central Jakarta on Sunday (18/8/2019). Vice President Kalla and MPR Speaker Zulkifli Hasan delivered speeches about independence and the Constitution.
While commemorating Constitution Day on 18 August, political figures talked about the discourse on an amendment of the 1945 Constitution. The amendment was in line with the challenges of the times.
The development of society leads to the need for an amendment so that the contents of the Constitution remain relevant. The amendment of the Constitution is not something that is unfamiliar. Other countries, such as the United States, have also repeatedly done this. The amendment to the Constitution is meant to improve, correct or revise the original contents. In Indonesia, it deals with the 1945 Constitution.
When it is being talked about in a discourse, it is also highlighted that efforts to make the amendment have to be accompanied by in-depth studies and involve society so that the results are optimal. It is also expected that the amendment will not become a wild ball (Kompas, 19/8/2019).
With regard to the last point, it has been stated that the focus of the amendment is to accommodate the aspirations of reviving the State Policy Guidelines (GBHN) to ensure the sustainability of development. This has been agreed by the factions and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) groups in the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), who wanted to restore the MPR\'s authority to determine the GBHN, through limited changes to the 1945 Constitution.
Vice President M Jusuf Kalla on the commemoration of Constitution Day emphasized that it is possible to make the amendment as long as it is not carried out against the preamble of the 1945 Constitution. Because the preamble contains the objectives of the state of Indonesia, namely a just and prosperous state, through the process of educating the nation, advancing public welfare and participating in world peace.
It will also deal with the structuring of the presidential system, the structuring of judicial power, and the structuring of legislation with the Pancasila guidelines as the source of all sources of the law.
According to MPR Speaker Zulkifli Hasan, the MPR for the 2014-2019 period will recommend the MPR 2019-2024 to realize the fifth amendment, whose scope is broader than just the GBHN. Beyond that, there is material for structuring the authority of the MPR and DPD so that the existence of the two institutions is increasingly felt by the people. It will also deal with the structuring of the presidential system, the structuring of judicial power, and the structuring of legislation with the Pancasila guidelines as the source of all sources of the law.
Recommendations to the MPR for the 2019-2024 period were taken because the working period of the MPR for the 2014-2019 period is only 1.5 months left. They could not make changes to the constitution because the submission of an amendment is no later than six months before the end of the MPR membership period.
We are of the same view, Indonesia lives in a dynamic pace and rhythm of nationalism. It is undeniable that the global external environment is developing dynamically. This requires not only a new perspective, but also a new response. The need to review the constitution is also felt by other countries.
However, we need to remind ourselves of two things. First, the planned change to the 1945 Constitution should be carried out thoroughly, involving all stakeholders and be preceded by in-depth studies. Second, the change does not bring us back to the past. Only with a reformist spirit and referring to the interests of the nation will the amendment to the constitution get substantial and essential meaning.
