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View all search resultsConstitutional amendment not a cure-all, MPR speaker says
People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani of the Gerindra Party also teased the possibility for the assembly to push for changes in the country’s presidential system after an evaluation of whether it functions effectively or instead creates ‘vacuum of concentrated authority’.
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People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani (second right) shakes hands with Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Pratikno (right) on Aug. 18, witnessed by House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani (second left) and Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin during the commemoration of National Constitution Day and the MPR's 80th anniversary at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
P
eople’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani urged caution against calls for amending the 1945 Constitution, warning that it would not serve as an instant remedy for all of Indonesia’s challenges.
Speaking during the commemoration of National Constitution Day on Monday evening, Muzani likened the assembly’s role to an architect, with a responsibility to ensure the Constitution remains “strong and relevant”.
“However, such an authority [to amend the Constitution] must be exercised with great caution and wisdom,” said Muzani, senior politician of President Prabowo Subianto’s Gerindra Party. “An amendment is not an instant solution to every problem.”
He added that any effort to amend the Constitution must undergo a transparent and participatory process involving the public, which includes academics, community leaders and ordinary citizens, in “every step of the process” and in understanding the reasons behind proposed changes.
“Amendments must be based on broad consensus. Changes to the Constitution cannot be driven by the will of a few, but must reflect the agreement of the entire nation,” Muzani went on to say.
“The Constitution does not belong to a select few. It belongs to all groups, to all citizens, to every child of the nation.”
