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Jokowi ‘notified’ of female top justice’s decision: Constitutional Court
The Constitutional Court has officially sent a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, informing him that justice Maria Farida Indrati, the only woman on the nine-panel bench, is set to end her second and final term in August.
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A woman of integrity: Constitutional Court justice Maria Farida Indrati (left), the only woman on the nine-panel bench, attends a hearing led by presiding judge Anwar Usman (center) on Feb.22. (Antara/Wahyu Putro A.)
The Constitutional Court has officially sent a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, informing him that justice Maria Farida Indrati, the only woman on the nine-panel bench, is set to end her second and final term in August.
Constitutional Court chief justice Arief Hidayat delivered the letter to Jokowi on Tuesday, explaining to the President that Maria’s tenure would end at the time justices at the court faced a series of regional election disputes filed after the simultaneous elections in June.
“Therefore, we called on the President to pay attention to this matter […] We hope the vacant position can be filled within a short period of time,” Arief said on Tuesday.
Maria’s successor is to be chosen by Jokowi. Having served for nearly 10 years at the court, Maria was appointed twice by former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2008 and 2013.
On whether the Constitutional Court expected Jokowi to appoint another woman to replace Maria, Arief said the court had no authority to push for certain criteria because the final decision was up to the President.
“The most important thing is that the appointed justice should have an extensive understanding about the state ideology Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution,” said Arief.
The current Constitutional Court Law stipulates that the President, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court each has the right to appoint three justices through a transparent nomination of candidates and with public participation.
Jokowi will soon establish an independent selection committee whose members are responsible for selecting candidates to replace Maria. (ebf)
