The Constitutional Court's Decision To Pass Gibran Cawapres Has A Criticism, Anwar Usman: For Me Drugs

Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Anwar Usman (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) Anwar Usman responded to the criticism that attacked him from a number of parties in the aftermath of a case decision that allowed regional heads to be not yet 40 years old to advance in the presidential election. Anwar Usman was attacked because he was the uncle of the Mayor of Solo Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36 years old, who is now promoted as a candidate for vice president accompanying Prabowo Subianto. According to Anwar Usman, criticism made against him after the decision that passed Gibran as a vice presidential candidate he considered as a drug. "For us, especially myself, (critical) is a drug, whatever kind of medicine. Because there is no sweet drug," said Anwar at a press conference at the Constitutional Court Building, Monday, October 23. According to him, criticism to suggestions targeting nine Constitutional Justices and the Constitutional Court institution was accepted as a boost to their performance improvement. "Critics, suggestions, notes, whatever, it serves for the improvement of each of us nine, and especially for the improvement of this institution we love, the Constitutional Court," he said. Apart from that, Anwar still denied his intervention in the Constitutional Court's decision with the aim of making Gibran a vice presidential candidate. He reasoned, during 39 years serving as a judge, the mandate remained firm in the constitution.

"Now it's been 39 years, isn't it? Alhamdulillah, I hold fast. My oath is still firm. Trust in the constitution of the constitution, the mandate in my religion that is in the Qur'an," said Anwar. Anwar then quoted the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad as saying that the Prophet would not intervene, even if the daughter Fatimah committed the theft. "'If Fatimah my son stole me alone I would cut his tag', it means showing that the law must stand straight, whether it is permissible to intervene without the permission of anyone and from anywhere," he said.