UNS—Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia (MK RI), Prof. Dr. Arief Hidayat, S.H., M.S., delivered a public lecture on the role of the Constitutional Court as “The Guardian of the Constitution and Democracy in Indonesia.” The lecture was held in person at the 4th-floor Auditorium of the Research and Community Service Institute (LPPM) Building at Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta on Friday (30/8/2024).
The Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Research, Prof. Dr. Fitria Rahmawati, S.Si., M.Si., opened the event and emphasized that the topic was particularly relevant and given recent developments in the news.
“This lecture is one of the courses designed by the LPPM team to provide students with knowledge about the constitution and democracy. We believe that students have the right to understand the intricacies of the constitution and democracy, as well as the challenges that lie ahead,” Prof. Fitria stated.
Prof. Fitria further explained that the public lecture, which featured Justice Arief Hidayat, aimed to allow the entire UNS academic community to learn directly from a practitioner about the constitution, democracy, and citizens’ rights within a democratic framework.
“We hope that through this public lecture, we can impart democratic values that are in line with ethics and morality to both students and the broader UNS academic community. May our efforts today to contribute to the nation be blessed by the Almighty,” Prof. Fitria concluded in her opening remarks.
In his lecture, Justice Arief Hidayat highlighted that Indonesia faces significant challenges in upholding its constitution and ideology, particularly in the face of rampant corruption and graft within both the government and society.
“Indonesia is a nation founded on belief in God. Every aspect of life, whether in politics, economics, culture, or other fields, must be illuminated by this divine light. If this is truly practiced, Indonesia can become a better country,” Prof. Arief Hidayat explained.
The Constitutional Court Justice also assured that the Court’s role is to safeguard the constitution by ensuring it remains grounded in the nation’s ideology and foundational principles, even if this sometimes results in difficult and painful rulings for certain parties.
The public lecture was attended by student representatives from each faculty as well as lecturers and academic staff, and was also broadcast online via Zoom.
HUMAS UNS
Reporter: Annisa Fakhira
Editor: Dwi Hastuti
