A PROSPECT AND CHALLENGES FOR ADOPTING CONSTITUTIONAL COMPLAINT AND CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION IN THE INDONESIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT
* Published in Constitutional Review, Vol. 2, No. 1, May 2016, pp. 103-128
Abstract: A jurisdiction of the Indonesian Constitutional Court concerning constitutional adjudication is only limited to review the constitutionality of national law. There is no mechanism for challenging any decision or action made by public authorities that violate fundamental rights enshrined in the Indonesian Constitution. This article argues that constitutional complaint and constitutional question might be adopted as new jurisdictions of the Indonesian Constitutional Court in order to strengthen the protection of fundamental rights of its citizen. It also identifies main problems that will be faced by the Constitutional Court in exercising constitutional complaint and constitutional question. For instance, the Court will be burdened with too many cases as experienced by other countries. A clear mechanism for filtering applications lodged to the Constitutional Court and the time limit for deciding cases are important elements that have to be regulated to overcome the problems. In addition, the institutional structure of the Constitutional Court has to be improved, particularly to support its decision-making process.
Keywords: Constitutional Complaint, Constitutional Court, Constitutional Question, Fundamental Rights, Individual Application
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Abstrak: Perubahan transformatif terhadap Undang-Undang Dasar 1945 telah membentuk suatu institusi pengadilan yang dikenal dengan Mahkamah Konstitusi. Lembaga ini dipercaya dalam menjalankan peran yang strategis dalam sistem pluralisme hukum Indonesia, khususnya di ranah pengujian konstitusionalitas undang-undang dan perlindungan hak konstitusional. Namun demikian, performa Mahkamah Konstitusi juga telah terlepas dari kontroversi. Hal tersebut muncul karena Mahkamah Konstitusi dinilai memberikan perhatian pada paradigma sosiologi hukum yang lebih mengedepankan keadilan substantif, namun sedikit memberikan pengakuan terhadap keadilan prosedural. Kritik utama terhadap Mahkamah Konsitusi ditujukan terhadap sifat dasar Mahkamah yang dianggap telah masuk ke dalam praktik judicial activism. Tulisan ini membahas mengenai dimensi judicial activism yang digunakan oleh Mahkamah Konstitusi sebagai dasar untuk melindungi hak konstitusional warga negara melalui putusan-putusannya. Selain itu, tulisan ini juga menganalisa mengenai sejauh manajudicial activism dapat memperoleh justifikasi dalam proses pembuatan putusan di Mahkamah Konstitusi.
Pan Mohamad Faiz, S.H., M.C.L., Ph.D. 