Chief Justice Of The Constitutional Court, Married To President Jokowi's Sister, Expert: Anwar Usman Should Resign To Protect The Constitutional Guard

Chief of Constitutional Court Anwar Usman/Photo: mkri.id

JAKARTA - The head of the Constitutional Court (MK) Anwar Usman is rumored to be marrying Idayati, the younger sister of President Joko Widodo. This news is certainly a piece of happy news, but on the other hand, it creates a negative perception.

The Narration Institute's Public Policy expert, Achmad Nur Hidayat, assessed that as a public official married to a family headed by the state, the impact would not be the same as for the general public.

Considering Anwar Usman as chairman of the Constitutional Court who is currently handling lawsuits against the government regarding alleged violations of the constitution. Like a lawsuit against the IKN Law.

"Moreover, the news said that within one year the wealth of the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court increased to 20 billion," said Achmad in Jakarta, Tuesday, March 22.

These things, continued Achmad, raise questions about the integrity of the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court in making decisions. Such as the 2019 Presidential Election dispute that was won by President Jokowi, and the lawsuit over the 20 percent Presidential Threshold which was rejected by the Constitutional Court.

"If behind the decisions taken by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court there is an element of collusion with the president, then this will undermine and betray the constitution, which we should uphold," he said.

Moreover, added Achmad, currently there are efforts to amend the 1945 Constitution which includes an agenda for postponing elections and extending the presidential term. Although this idea was rejected outright by the President.

"But in the end, Jokowi took a biased attitude, making the public not believe it. If Jokowi said 'No', it was because of the many facts that contradicted the statement he made to the public," said Achmad.

Achmad assessed that the family relationship between the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and President Jokowi's family could lead to a conflict of interest. Which can cause the decisions taken by the Court to be unfair.

"And this will undermine democracy," he continued.

To realize Good Governance, said Achmad, there should be no conflict of interest, especially among public officials.

"For this reason, Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Anwar Usman must step down from his position as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court," said Achmad.

Achmad said that the Constitutional Court must maintain the constitutional guard and be an assessor if there are accusations of the president violating the constitution. The Constitutional Court, he said, must also ensure that the political constellation runs fairly.

"The government can continue to work constitutionally. If parliament accuses the government of violating the constitution, the Constitutional Court has the authority to judge whether the president violates the constitution or not without a conflict of interest," he said.