Fired From The Chief Justice Of The Constitutional Court, Anwar Usman: There Is A Scenario To Kill My Character

Anwar Usman who was fired from the position of Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court at a press conference at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 8. (Diah-VOI)

Constitutional Justice Anwar Usman claimed that there was a scenario of damaging his reputation in order to be declared to have violated serious ethics in the decision on the presidential and vice presidential age limit by the Honorary Council of the Constitutional Court (MKMK).

Anwar was fired from his position as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) in the Constitutional Court's decision yesterday. Anwar admitted that he knew this scenario was designed before the MKMK was formed.

"I know and have received news that efforts to carry out politicization and make me the object of various Constitutional Court decisions and the final Constitutional Court decision, as well as the plan to form the Constitutional Court, I have heard long before the MKMK was formed," Anwar said at a press conference at the Constitutional Court Building, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, November 8.

"However, even though I have heard that there are scenarios that are trying to kill my character, I am still kind to think about, HUsnuzon, because that should be the way a Muslim's character and character thinks," he added.

Anwar felt that he was slandered because he was said to have a conflict of interest in the Constitutional Court's decision which allowed regional heads not to run as presidential and vice-presidential candidates because he was the uncle of Gibran Rakabuming Raka who is now Prabowo Subianto's vice presidential candidate.

"The slander addressed to me is related to the handling of case Number 90/PUU-XXI/2023, which is a very heinous slander, and is not based on the law at all," said Anwar.

Anwar claims that since pursuing a career at a court in 1985 until now, he has never dealt with the Judicial Commission or the Supreme Court's Supervisory Body, nor has he violated ethics as a constitutional judge since being given the mandate in 2011.

Anwar realized that the handling of cases related to elections was indeed strongly politically charged. However, he emphasized that his decision, which was the regional head under 40 years old as a presidential and vice presidential candidate, was not intended to pass Gibran, his nephew, to walk through the 2024 presidential election.

"If the intention of me and the constitutional judges, to decide the case, is intended to pass certain pairs of candidates, after all, it is also not us who will have the right to carry candidates, and who will determine who the candidate for elected partner will be, of course it is the people who determine their right to vote through the general election," he explained.

In the decision on the ethical violation of the constitutional judge which was read out on Tuesday, November 7, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Jimly Asshidiqqie stated that Anwar Usman was proven to have committed a serious violation of the code of ethics and behavior of the constitusion judge as stated in Sapta Karsa Hutama, the principle of impartiality, principle of integrity, principle of competence and equality, principle of independence, and principle of appropriateness and decency.

Jimly said that the uncle of the prospective vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka opened the space for outsiders to intervene in the formulation of the Constitutional Court's decision in case number 90/PUU-XXI/2023 which allowed regional heads not yet 40 years old as presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

"The reported judge (Anwar Usman) was proven to have deliberately opened the space for outside intervention in the decision-making process number 90/PUU-XXI/2023, thus violating Sapta Karsa Hutama, Independence Principle, Implementation of Numbers 1, 2, and 3," said Jimly.

This was supported by Anwar Usman's attitude involved in the judge's deliberation meeting (RPH) on the 90/PUU-XXI/2023 case, after previously being absent from the RPH of a similar material test case.

"The reported judge (Anwar Usman) did not resign from handling the 90/PUU-XXI/2023 case, even though in fact there was a conflict of interest, because the 90/PUU-XXI/2023 case was directly related to the interests of the reported judge's family, namely Gibran Rakabuming Raka," said Jimly.

The sanction was that the MKMK dismissed Anwar Usman from the position of Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court as a result of the Constitutional Court's decision to pass Gibran running as a vice presidential candidate even though he was not yet 40 years old.

The Constitutional Court ordered the Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court to lead the implementation of the new Constitutional Court leadership election within 2x24 hours.

The Constitutional Court also prohibits Anwar Usman, who is now only a member of the Constitutional Court, from running for Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court until his term as a constitutional judge ends.