It Could Be An Entry Point For Many Interests, The MPR Review Board Closes The Amendment To The Constitution

Djarot Saiful Hidayat/DOK VOI-Wardhany Tsa Tsia

JAKARTA - The MPR formed an Ad Hoc Committee to conduct a constitutional convention related to the discussion of the State Policy Principles (PPHN) in the 2019-2024 period. Ad Hoc Committee consisting of 10 MPR leaders and 45 from DPD factions and groups.

The chairman of the MPR Review Board, Djarot Saiful Hidayat, said that his party did not open the room for amendments to the 1945 Constitution because he was worried that the amendment would become the entrance for many interests.

Djarot said that this is also an affirmation that the current government will not amend the Constitution. According to him, if parliament amends the 1945 Constitution in a hot political situation, it will be disastrous for the country.

"Looking at the current political situation, that's why we don't make limited amendments. Because if the amendments are limited at this time, it's like opening Pandora's box for various kinds of interests to enter. That's why we closed the Forbidden for the current amendment, "said Djarot at the DPR/MPR building, Jakarta , Monday, July 25.

Therefore, Djarot continued, the Ad Hoc committee will decide whether the PPHN will be made into law or converted into a constitutional system.

"Therefore, how about studying the constitutional convention system? Or the law. And then let the Ad Hoc committee decide," he said.

"The trend will be discussed in depth at the Ad Hoc committee. So the review body does not have the authority to determine a, b, c. No. We only provide the results of the study. We do not decide," added the PDIP politician.

Djarot said that later the study would provide groundbreaking material to the Ad Hoc committee team to decide whether it would become a law or a constitutional convention.

"Later the decision will be made by the Ad Hoc committee at the MPR plenary meeting," he said

Previously, MPR Chairman Bambang Soesatyo said the constitutional convention was a breakthrough from the MPR Review Board in presenting the PPHN in line with the amendments to the 1945 Constitution.

He also said that the MPR Review Board's proposal regarding the constitutional convention was based on the arguments or legal basis of Article 100 paragraph 2 of the MPR RI Regulation Number 1 of 2019 concerning the Rules of the Indonesian MPR.

"What is interesting is that the Study Board found a new breakthrough to avoid amendments, because today's political situation does not allow us to make changes or amendments to the Constitution. So the breakthrough is based on the arguments or legal basis of Article 100 in the statute paragraph 2 in particular that MPR decisions can be made through constitutional conventions that can bind both inside and outside," explained the former chairman of the DPR.

"This is what the report from the Study Board was unanimously accepted by the joint meeting, which was followed by the formation of an Ad Hoc committee," continued Bamsoet.